Trouble
by Breyzie1478
Summary: A sassy single mother, the little boy that rules her world, and a tattooed bartender that gets blindsided by them both. Bella/Edward. Good times, not-so good times, and everything in between. Tattward and Momella. Rated MA
1. Chapter 1

**A sassy single mother, the little boy that rules her world, and a tattooed bartender that gets blindsided by them both. Bella/Edward**

**Disclaimer: All the characters of Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just playing in her sandbox for a bit. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Prologue**

Things like this didn't happen to women like me. Normal women with stretch marks from giving birth to babies and extra belly left over from said babies. Women in their thirties whose boobs had lost some of their perk and whose asses weren't as small as they once were. Women with crows feet who'd just found their first gray hair. No, women like me read books about shit like this. About sexy men who loved the heroine just the way she was. Shit, I totally just went all Bridget Jones right there, didn't I? But the point is that it's fiction. Big, strong, manly men that came in and swept the woman off of her feet, giving her mind blowing orgasms all while fitting into her life seamlessly?

Yeah, that shit just didn't happen in real life. No, in real life, stuff like that was reserved for Victoria's Secret models that ended up being wooed by men like Adam Levine. But not us real gals. Nope. We got husbands who traded us in for newer models and made us feel like shit about ourselves.

Well, that's what I got anyway. Until _him_.

**Chapter One **

"C.J.! Boy you better put down the neighbor's cat and get in this house! Your daddy is going to be here soon and you're covered in mud!"

My heathen child looked at me with a smile so reminiscent of his father that it made my head ache. That same smile used to make me giggle like a schoolgirl, but over the last two years it only made me want to throw things. But on my little boy, it was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen. Even when that smile meant that he was up to no good.

The cat he was holding hissed and scratched him one final time before he put her down.

"I'ma comin', Mommy!"

Charlie James Hunter was my little miracle. Born ten weeks early and weighing in at a whopping 2 pounds 8 ounces, he had a rough start. There were breathing complications followed by pneumonia and jaundice. But my little man was a hellion from the beginning and fought tooth and nail to surpass every expectation.

Unfortunately all my time spent at the hospital with my son made my husband "lonely". It made him realize that he needed more. And for the first two years after my son's birth he carried on an affair with his secretary, turning himself into a cliché. When his mistress caught him cheating with someone else, she decided it was time I knew just what he'd been up to. When I confronted him he didn't beg or plead, nor did he deny a single thing. He simply shrugged and told me that not only had I seemingly forgotten him with the birth of our child, but my body hadn't bounced back from pregnancy the way he'd hoped.

As pissed off and hurt as I was, what suffered the most was my self-image. I don't give a shit what anyone says, your ego is going to take a hit when someone says shit like that to you. I found myself avoiding the mirror after my shower and spent all of my time focused on my little boy. After two years of being home with him, the idea of going back to work was hard, but Demetri wasn't going to give me any more money than he had to, and truth be told I didn't want anything more from him than what he owed C.J. and not a dime more. I wanted him to be a good father to our son, and to be able to forget the last ten years I'd been married to him since it turned out I never knew him at all.

But I couldn't regret marrying him because it brought me my little boy, and he was worth it all. Even when he was covered in mud and annoying the neighbor's animals. At four he was full of piss and vinegar, as my dad liked to say.

I was both sad and nervous because it was the first weekend that Demetri hadn't backed out in over 6 months, and as resilient as C.J. was, he really wasn't fond of going to visit his dad when he actually showed up. As a matter of fact, I was sure he gave Demetri hell every single time because when he dropped him off you would think he'd been in a fight for his life by the way he looked.

And C.J. was always very proud of himself when he walked back through our front door, never sparing his father a backwards glance.

It always made me sad because at the tender age of four, my kiddo already knew how little his father actually wanted to do with him. The worst part was that C.J. didn't seem to care. Thankfully he had my dad and brother as reliable male figures. Well, James was sort of an idiot, but as his little sister it was my duty to love him anyway. And he really adored his nephew, so I couldn't think him too big of a moron. Even if he was pushing forty and still lived at home with Dad.

But I digress.

"Mommy!" C.J. brought me back to reality. "Do I _hafta_ go with _him_?"

"_Him_ is your Daddy, and yes, you have to go, baby."

"But why? He just leaves me with that girl so he can go out with stupid Kitty."

"Kate, honey. Her name is Kate. And I know you don't want to go, but maybe this weekend will be different. And how about I make a deal with you? If you're having that bad of a time, you can call me, and I'll come get you. Deal?"

He looked up, eyeing me carefully. "Okay. But when I get home can I get a puppy?"

"Definitely not. You remember the deal. When you're old enough to walk a dog alone, then we'll talk about it. Until then, no sir."

What I didn't say was that I was worried he'd annoy a poor dog to death until it ran away. I loved the child, but he was a handful.

"What are you gonna' do when I'm gone? Won't you be sad by yourself?"

"I always miss you when you're gone, but Uncle Jamie and Aunt Vicky are going to take me out, so I won't be lonely. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. But if you get sad you call me and I'll come home! Promise?"

"I promise. I love you, kid."

"Love you too, Mommy."

The knock on the door made C.J. let out a cute little growl and we both went to answer the door.

"What the hell? Is he covered in mud? That shit is going to get all over my leather seats!" Demetri yelled, and just to piss him off, C.J. hugged him, getting mud all over his fancy suit.

"First of all, watch your mouth. Second of all, he's a little boy. It's what they do. And how about you actually spend some time with him this weekend, all right?"

Demetri rolled his eyes, and I bent down for more hugs and kisses from my kiddo.

"Love you the most, Mommy," he whispered.

Once he was gone, I let myself have a good cry. It was my routine when he was gone. It was the worst part about being divorced. I had to let my son go, even if it wasn't that often, it hurt every single time.

Of course, my brother and almost-sister-in-law, knowing this showed up right in time to keep me from wallowing.

"Little sister," James said with a sigh and pulled me into his arms. "It's going to be all right. I know it sucks some major ass, but just think of all the hell that little man is going to give that asshole and his little girlfriend. Brings a smile to my face every time I think of it."

My son was a lot like his uncle. Full of mischief. My brother was pushing forty, but acted like he was five half of the time. I had no idea how Victoria put up with him all these years, but she'd loved him since high school.

"And you know my offer always stands, honey," Victoria added. "I don't give two shits about going to jail. I'll kick his ass anytime."

You know what they say about redheads? Well, that embodied Victoria perfectly. Her attitude matched her hair color. She was raised a little rich girl whose Daddy bailed her out of anything. One would have thought she'd be a bitch. And she was, just not in the way you'd think. She was fiercely loyal, and once she cared about you, she'd kill for you. Some days I loved her even more than I loved my big brother, and that was saying something.

"Have I told you lately that you're my favorite, Vic?"

"Hmm, not today, so feel free," she said with a wink. "You can tell me how fabulous I am while we get you ready."

"And that's where you lost me. I'll just be right here, playing Xbox and waiting on you two to be ready to go." James sat on the couch, propping his Doc Marten clad feet on my coffee table.

I let Victoria primp and pamper me, all the while telling me about the bar they were dragging me to. She went on and on about the bartender and how if she wasn't head over heels in love with my brother all the dirty things she would do to him.

"I heard that!" James called from his place on the couch.

"It's been forever since you got laid, Bells. I mean, come on. And this guy looks like he knows his way around a vagina, just saying. You need to knock the dust off of that thing before it closes back up."

"My ears are bleeding!" James called.

"Then stop listening, jackass!" Victoria yelled back before going to slam the bedroom door.

"Vic, you know the only men I want in my life are C.J., your doofus of a fiancé, and my dad. After Demetri, I am perfectly content to let it 'close back up', as you say. No man is worth the trouble that comes with them."

And it was the damn truth. Other than my father and brother, I hadn't met a single man that was worth it. There were no fairy tale romances or men that swept you off your feet. Nope. Just assholes that cheated and made you feel like shit about yourself. No thank you.

"I'm not saying you have to marry the man. Hell, I just meant for you to get some. It doesn't always have to be about love, you know."

"Says the woman who has been with the same man for twenty-two years, and no one else." I said with an eye-roll.

"Yeah, well, I watched _Sex and the City_. You can get laid without it being about romance. And it doesn't have to go anywhere."

"How about you stop trying to talk my sister into some dude's pants and we get a move on?!" James pleaded from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, what he said," I agreed.

Victoria huffed, but complied.

The bar wasn't one I'd been to before. I definitely would have remembered the bartender, because damn if Victoria wasn't right. He was six-foot-three, at least. He wore dark jeans that hung low on his hips, and a tight black t-shirt that showed every muscle in his body as well as his tattoo-covered arms. Hair the color of an old penny stood up in all different directions. Sex hair was my guess. He really was spectacular. And by the amount of women lined up at the bar, he knew it too.

I looked at them, all young and perky, then I looked down at myself. I didn't look bad. I was quite pretty, actually, but I could feel the pooch on my belly, and just looking at that man made me feel insecure. Men like that never looked at women like me.

_Cool it with the pity party, Bella. Just get the damn beer and go back to your table. You may not look 22 anymore, but hell, you don't look like you belong on the People of Walmart page either._ I internally scolded myself and made my way over to the bar.

"What can I get for you?" Sexy bartender asked and I swallowed down the word vomit that usually came up when I was nervous.

"Can I get three Blue Moon's, please?"

"Sure, sweetheart," he said with a wink and a crooked grin.

A blonde with giant boobs yelled to get his attention and he held up a finger to tell her to wait. He handed me the beers and I gave him the money. His hand touched mine, sending a jolt of electricity up my arm.

"Damn static electricity," I murmured under my breath making him chuckle.

That's when I noticed that he was still touching my hand, a sexy smirk on his face. I was terrified that if I didn't get away from those piercing green eyes that I'd do something _really_ embarrassing like get naked from the waist down and ask him to bend me over the bar.

"Um, I think Tits Magee over there is trying to get your attention." I nodded in the direction of the big-boobed blonde.

"Tits Magee? Oh, that's awesome! She'll love that one!" He turned to yell at TM and I took the opportunity to slink back to my table.

Victoria, of course, teased the shit out of me. She called it flirting. I called my encounter with the hot bartender awkward as ass. I wouldn't know flirting if it bit me in the ass, it had been so long. Needless to say I made James go to the bar for the rest of the night.

After about four beers I was able to relax and ignore the very sexy bartender who, according to Victoria, kept staring at me.

"Hello," I heard from behind me and turned to see the big tittied blonde. "I'm Rosalie, but you may know me as Tits Magee." She said with a wink.

I groaned and dropped my head to the table. She didn't look mad, only amused, but still.

"The bartender, _my brother_, wanted me to send these over. On the house."

That had my head shooting up in her direction. She placed three more beers on the table along with a scrap of paper.

_Come talk to me. I'm lonely._

_Edward_

I looked at Rosalie who had already begun to walk away, then over to the bar where _Edward_ was surrounded by a bevy of beauties.

"Lonely my ass," I snorted and passed the note to Victoria.

"Well, hot damn, Bella. You need to go over there. Get it, girl! Let me live vicariously!"

James grumbled about never coming back to that bar as Victoria urged me on. But there was no way I was going over there. Not only was I worried that I'd humiliate myself in the midst of all the beautiful young women, but he definitely didn't look like the type to get involved with jaded, single mothers.

Nope, I so wasn't going there.

So I spent the rest of the night talking and laughing with my brother and Victoria, pointedly ignoring anything and anyone that was even in the vicinity of the bar. By midnight I was feeling right as rain, and was very thankful that James was the DD because Victoria was as plastered as I was.

"All right, my two favorite girls," James interrupted our latest fit of giggles, "I think it's time to get you two home."

Victoria stuck out her lip in a pout. "But I haven't gotten Bella laid yet. I've been a horrible wingman… wingwoman whatever."

"I don't need to get laid. That's why God invented vibrators, Vic."

"Eww! Stop! TMI, Bella! Shit!" James covered both ears for a moment and then grabbed both of our purses. "Let's go before I puke."

Victoria and I walked arm in arm, singing along with the AC/DC song playing on the jukebox. But before we could get out the door I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder.

"You didn't come see me."

"Uh-oh, Bella. Looks like you're in trouble with the sexy bartender." Victoria giggled.

"I'm hurt, you know. I waited for you to come back all night and nothing. Maybe I'm losing my touch." He smirked and for some reason it just pissed me off.

Demetri was cocky too, and I hated it. At one time I thought it was sexy, but now it just reminded me that the cocky assholes all thought they were entitled to whatever they wanted from however many different women they wanted.

"Maybe so. Or maybe I'm just not a good little bitch who comes when she's called." I snarked back, the alcohol making me bold.

A loud laugh sounded from behind Edward and I saw Rosalie peering around his shoulder.

"Oh, girl I like you! My brother is so used to the women falling at his feet that he's forgotten what rejection feels like. Looks like she's not interested, big brother."

"Listen to your sister. I'm not interested."

Victoria elbowed me and Rosalie laughed even harder. My brother couldn't help himself and laughed right along with her.

"Not interested?" He looked genuinely confused.

"Uh-huh. Should I speak slower? Or perhaps you just need to get your ego in check. This shit might work on those barely legal girls over there, but I'm a grown ass woman who's seen your type before. So no, I'm not interested."

"This is the most fun I've had in ages," Rosalie snorted. "You and me? We're going to be great friends. Here, give me your phone."

When I didn't immediately hand it over, too distracted by glaring at her brother, she snatched it from my hand.

"I'm putting my number in here and texting myself so that I have yours. Let's do lunch." I just nodded at her words.

But then Edward decided that he wasn't going to let it go, snatching my phone from his sister. He was annoying me more by the minute. As soon as I got my phone back, I deleted his contact information, but he just smirked, holding up his phone showing a text from my number.

"This is the strangest night of my life," I mumbled before dragging Victoria out of the door.

"Hey! What's your name?" Edward called.

I didn't answer, but Victoria and her big mouth did.

"Bella! Her name is Bella."

"Bella indeed," he murmured with a smirk.

Victoria chattered the whole way home about the way he looked at me. Or how my feistiness must have turned him on. I really tried to tune her out because while having a man like that show interest in me was a definite ego boost, I knew that nothing good could come of it.

But around three that morning I received a text.

_Hope you made it home safely, Beautiful Bella ~E_

Alone in my bed I was able to let go of how I really felt. Like a high school girl with a crush. I may or may not have squealed a little, but I'd never admit it out loud. And I damn sure wouldn't respond to him in any way. That was just asking for trouble and heartbreak because he had both of those words written all over him. It was in his sinful good looks, the way he moved, his sexy grin, and the ink that covered his arms. Hell, he probably even drove a motorcycle and played the guitar.

I'd never been into bad boys. Demetri was an accountant for crying out loud. Good looking, yes, but bad boy? No. Even the not-so-bad boys cheated on me, so there was absolutely no way in hell I would go there with the hot bartender.

But I could damn sure fantasize about it.

The next day I got a call from Rosalie who wanted to meet for Sunday brunch, but I was picking up C.J. Sunday morning. I wouldn't have guessed that she had two little ones of her own. Her body sure didn't look like it. But regardless, she invited us both.

C.J. was smitten with her oldest little girl from the second he laid eyes on her. Emma had just turned five, and my heathen child took one look at her and turned into a little angel. He was polite and actually sat _still_ in the restaurant. There was no complaining about the food, or trying to climb under the table. The little girl had bewitched my boy.

"He's so adorable, Bella," Rosalie gushed as she fed her youngest, Lacey.

"So are yours. It's nice to be out with another mom for once. My brother and his fiancé don't have any kids, nor do they want any. And being a single mom, I don't really have much time to make new friends. So thank you for inviting us."

"No problem. I meant what I said last night. You and I are going to get along just fine. Anyone who can put my brother in his place is all right in my books."

I hadn't planned to bring him up. In fact, I planned to avoid him as a topic of conversation at all costs. But Rosalie wasn't going to let it go.

"I love my brother, I do. But he's thirty-six and has never even had a serious girlfriend. His looks make it so that he never lacks for company, but I get really sick of seeing women fall at his feet. Heck, I can't even have female friends because he gets s-e-x and never calls again. That usually results in them never calling _me_ again. Or there are the women who become friends with me hoping to get their claws into my brother."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that with me. I have no interest in your brother, or any other man for that matter. Life is hard enough without the trouble a man brings."

Rose leaned forward at my words. "I smell a story there. Spill it, sister."

"My daddy is a butthead," C.J. answered for me. "I don't like him. And I don't like his girlfriends. Kate getted mad cause she said he was crewing the sitter. What's crewing, Mommy?"

My eyes widened. I knew he meant screwing, and holy crap had Demetri lost his mind? The babysitter was eighteen and had just graduated high school! I was mortified in front of my new friend.

"Wow. Um… it means that he wasn't being very nice to her." It was the best answer I could come up with. But I knew that I would be calling Demetri later and giving him a piece of my mind. Until he could keep it in his pants with my kid around, C.J. wouldn't be going back over there.

"No wonder you don't want anything to do with men. I'm assuming _crewing_ was why you guys split up?" Rose asked carefully.

"Most definitely. Among other things. All I know is that my Aunt got divorced when she was in her twenties and swore off men for good. She never even so much as dated that I know of, and she's perfectly happy. If she can do it, so can I."

Aunt Charlotte was a spitfire, completely set in her ways. She said that her first marriage sucked so badly, why would she want another one, and I tend to agree with her.

"But what about the _crewing_? I would die without that," Rosalie admitted.

"Yeah, well, the crewing was never that great to begin with, so I don't think I'm missing that much."

"You poor, poor woman. Maybe my brother could help you out after all. As much as I've tried not to, I've heard he's really good at that. He should be, he's had enough practice."

"Eww," was all I could come up with to say. The man may have looked hot, but I wasn't in the market for an STD. That's just nasty.

"Yeah, well, it has its advantages, having a man that knows what they're doing. Just sayin'. My hubby wasn't a saint before we got together and I've reaped the benefits."

"Thanks, but I don't share well, even if it would just be casual. And I don't think your brother looks like the one-woman type. It just wouldn't be for me."

"Yeah, I get that. But I have to warn you, he's pretty darn persistent when he wants something, and he's not going to give up until he gets what he wants. You can blame my parents for that. They spoiled us rotten, so we don't accept defeat very easily." I knew her warning was an honest one. My phone had gone off three times with texts from Edward just since I'd been with her.

"Yes, well, I hope he enjoys disappointment."

"Have I told you today how much I like you, Bella? Because really, I think I may be in love with you… just a little."

We both laughed and went on to talk about our lives. She was married to Emmett McCarty, her high school sweetheart. Her parents, Carlisle and Esme, were still madly in love. Apparently they acted like horny teenagers and you couldn't show up at the house uninvited or you might get a show. She helped Edward out at the bar on occasion, but for her real job she ran a garage with her husband that specialized in restoring vintage cars and repairing rare and expensive vehicles. They were very successful and people came from all around for their work.

Looking at Rosalie it was hard to picture her as a mechanic, but it just proved that you couldn't judge a book by its cover.

Their family came from "old money" but their parents had taught them the value of working and earning their own living even though they never needed to, and were given just about anything they wanted. Sounded like a contradiction to me, but I liked Rosalie so who gave a shit. Regardless of the wealth they were down to earth and laid back. She said Esme was practically a hippie and Carlisle was a surgeon, though he'd taken to volunteering, and even drove from Port Angeles to Seattle to make house calls to some of the poorer neighborhoods there. They sounded like the freaking Cleavers. And I could guarantee that if I met the parents they would be just as beautiful as their children.

I told her about my little family. About Charlie, and how even though he was coming up on sixty, he refused to even think about retiring or cutting back on his hours. Except for his weekend fishing trips of course. I talked about my brother and Vicky and their brand of crazy. And of course I talked about my little C.J., who was currently offering some of his dessert to Emma who was batting her eyelashes like an expert.

I told her how long I'd been with Demetri. That we'd met in college and had been study partners. That we'd sort of just fallen into a relationship without ever discussing it, and how our marriage practically happened the same way. I'd loved Demetri, sure, but it had never been all consuming. Even when I found out he was cheating I was more angry and humiliated than hurt.

I didn't go into the details with the kids sitting there. I'd made a vow to never slam Demetri in front of C.J., even when he deserved it. But Rose was able to read between the lines and get the gist of it.

"That's really sad, Bella. That you've gone this long without ever feeling the kind of love that makes your knees weak. I've been with Emmett since I was sixteen and he still gives me butterflies every time he kisses me."

"That's gross, Mommy," Emma whined and C.J. laughed.

"It's not gross. It's beautiful. You'll get it one day, little girl. Preferably when you're thirty."

"Okay, Mommy," she agreed easily.

We ended up taking the kids to the park and watching as C.J. scowled at any little boy that came too close to Emma while Lacey was content to be held. All in all, it was one of the best days I'd had in a long time, and I was glad to have a new friend.

Over the course of the next few days, C.J. and I fell back into our usual rhythm. Of course, Rosalie became a new addition to our routine. We'd been to her house for dinner, and I had the pleasure of meeting her boisterous husband. C.J. took to him immediately, happy for another male figure, and it was an added bonus that C.J. thought Emmett was secretly the Hulk. He and Emma had made a game of trying to make him angry so that he'd turn green and rip his pants.

And then of course there was Edward. I refused to answer his texts or calls. Even if Rose hadn't warned me about him there was no way I'd let a man like that into my life. Apparently Rose told him I was a single mother who didn't have time for his games, but it didn't deter him. In fact, the less I wanted to do with him, the harder he pursued me. It was a game, I knew. Rose had as much as confirmed it. But having a man that looked like _that_ chasing me around did wonders for my self-esteem.

"So, my mom wants to meet you," Rosalie interjected as I took a sip of coffee.

"Come again? Why would she want to do that?" I was admittedly terrified. Rose I was comfortable with, but Esme and Carlisle almost seemed too perfect, and I just knew I would embarrass the shit out of myself.

"Well, because my dear brother asked my mother for help with wooing a woman. I think she almost peed herself, she was so excited at the prospect of him having a real interest in a woman. I told them both it would never happen, but my mom has always believed her little boy just hadn't found the right woman yet. She sees this as a sign that he's ready to settle down and have babies. So she wants to meet her future daughter-in-law." I couldn't say anything, just sat there and slow-blinked at her.

"Yeah, she tends to get a little carried away when she gets an idea in her head. Now you know where Edward gets it from. But I figured I should warn you."

Rose laughed as I face palmed on the table.

"And I may or may not have let it slip that I was meeting you here today. I'm so sorry, Bella."

I didn't even have time to ask what she meant because the chair next to me was quickly occupied by none other than the handsome devil himself. I was suddenly very grateful that C.J. was having guy time with my dad. A woman with the same odd-colored hair as Edward sat down next to Rose and smiled at me sweetly. I swear she squealed a little when Edward slung his arm over the back of my chair.

"Sorry to show up unannounced, but this is what happens when you don't answer my texts and calls, sweetheart."

"I didn't answer your calls or texts because I'm not interested. It's not my fault that you can't take a hint."

Rose snorted and the woman I assumed was Esme giggled.

"Oh, Edward, she's so perfect. I adore her!" She looked at the two of us with a dreamy look in her eyes.

I was pretty sure that she was bat-shit crazy. It was a trait she obviously shared with her son.

"I'm Bella, and you must be Esme." I reached out my hand for her to shake, which she gladly did.

"I'm so happy to meet you, dear. Both of my children have spoken a lot about you."

"Well, Edward here only met me once, so I'm not quite sure what he could possibly have to say. But Rose has become a very good friend, so I trust that she has talked me up sufficiently."

Rose shot me a wink and I grinned back at her.

"And I hear you have a little boy. Where would he be today?" Esme's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"He's with my dad doing _boy_ stuff, whatever that means. He thinks it's his job to properly educate my son on all things male-related. Which usually means fishing, or digging up worms _for_ going fishing, or watching sports. Or pulling people over in his squad car and letting my son write pretend tickets. Being chief of police in a very small town has its perks."

"Oh, that sounds lovely! I love my little granddaughters, but boys are so much fun too! You'll have to bring him to our house one day. We have a pool, and a game room! He'd love it! And I hear he and Emma have hit it off, so they could play together. I could babysit for you when you go out with Edward!"

Not gonna lie, I choked on my drink a little. I could _definitely_ see where Edward got his tenacious personality from.

"Well, we could definitely do a play date, but I won't be going out with Edward," I said, feeling awkward as hell.

"Yes, well, my son hasn't made a very good impression, has he? He's a good boy, really. He just needs a good woman to put him in his place, and I think you'd be perfect for the job."

That time it was Edward's turn to cough. When I looked at him, the tips of his ears and his cheeks were pink. Was the hottie bartender blushing? Oh, that was priceless.

"I'm sorry, but really, it's never going to happen."

"And just why not? What's so wrong with me anyhow?" Edward asked.

"For one, I've been informed that you've never been in a serious relationship, yet you're never lonely, if you get my drift. And the only reason you want to go out with me so badly is because I keep refusing. It's an ego thing and has absolutely nothing to do with liking me. My life is complicated enough without playing games like that."

I hadn't meant to say all of that, especially in front of his mother, but he didn't really leave me much of a choice in the matter. I felt my face, neck, and chest flush red with a blush, but met his eyes to let him know I was serious.

"And who says I'm playing a game. I like you and want to take you out, it's as simple as that."

I couldn't help it. I rolled my eyes because he was so full of shit.

"And I'm telling you it's not going to happen. It would be so much better for everyone involved if you'd just let this go."

"Perhaps, but I'm telling _you_… me letting this go? _That's_ not going to happen."

"This is so much more interesting than my soaps," Esme stage whispered to Rose and I couldn't help but laugh.

Though for the rest of the day Edward's intense gaze was on my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! The response I got to the first chapter was amazing! Thank you to Kim67255 and Midnight Cougar for recommending this story on Facebook! If you heard about it elsewhere please let me know so I can thank them! You guys are all so amazingly awesome! I tried to get to every review, but real life is super busy so I apologize if I missed you! I love you guys! And a special thank you to TwiWifeLife for becoming my pre-reader extraordinaire and for the banner she has so graciously offered to make me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 2**

Edward hadn't been lying when he said he wasn't giving up. He was infuriatingly persistent. Every day there were texts and calls, both of which I never answered. Then came the flowers. I hadn't gotten flowers… ever.

Oh, and I can't forget when he showed up at my work to deliver them in person. That had all of the women in the office in a tizzy. He strolled in looking like a tattooed James Dean, and I swear, I heard panties exploding throughout the building.

I'd been on a call when my friend Alice brought him back to my desk. She was trying to act professional, but I could tell that she was ready to pounce on me to get all the details on him. Not that I had any to tell. Rose and I rarely ever spoke of him. It was like an unspoken rule between us.

I quickly hung up the phone and tried to ignore his presence, but then he leaned against my desk all sexy and smooth. The man really did make it hard to resist him. Not gonna lie. And it really had been way too long for me since I'd had my pipes cleaned, if you catch my drift.

Part of me thought that if I just gave it up he'd leave me alone and I could go on with my life. But the rational part of me let me know just how bad of an idea that was. I'd never been one to sleep around. Ever. And Edward wasn't one to settle down.

"Hey, gorgeous," he said, bending down to kiss my cheek.

I looked up to see the women in the office peeking around their cubicles, eyes wide with interest. I could tell they were all thinking the same thing. What was a guy like that doing with me? Hell, I was thinking it myself.

"Hello, Edward. What are you doing here?"

"I'm wooing you, of course. What do you expect me to do if you won't take my calls?"

I just shook my head and looked at Alice who was just standing there, her mouth hanging open.

"Don't you have a lunch break coming up soon?" He asked and unfortunately Alice answered for me.

"She does. Right now, actually. You have perfect timing."

I glared at her as Edward began gathering my things. "Great. I'm taking you to lunch and you don't have an excuse to wiggle out of it."

I stood with a sigh and he took my hand in his, dragging me out of the office before I could change my mind and run. He took me to a quiet little Italian place near my office that thankfully wasn't too packed. I watched, fascinated as he asked the hostess for a private table. He was treating this like a date.

"Look, Edward," I began once we were seated, "I don't know what you're doing here, but you're wearing me out. I have no desire to be in any sort of relationship, and I don't think you do either. Am I right?"

He shrugged, infuriating me.

"Well, here's the thing. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we should just screw and get it out of our systems. I won't lie and say I'm not attracted to you, but both of us know that's as far as this thing between us could ever go."

"What exactly are you saying, Bella?" He raised one eyebrow as he waited for my answer.

"I'm saying that my son is going to be with my brother and father on Friday night because they're going fishing early Saturday morning. I'm proposing that we meet up and bang this out, if you will."

"You want to meet up for sex? I'm sort of surprised, Bella. I didn't think you were that type of girl."

"I'm not, but I have the feeling that you won't leave me alone until you get what you want, and I suspect that what you want is between my legs."

A cough alerted me to the waiter that was now standing at our table. Mortified I gave him my order while Edward laughed his ass off.

"Well, I would love to take you up on your offer, but Fridays at the bar are busy. I won't be able to get the night off." He actually looked disappointed.

"Well, you get a break, don't you? And you have an office at the bar? I'll just come there."

Edward looked at me like I'd lost my mind. And maybe I had. I'd basically just offered to come to him like a hooker and drop my drawers at his place of business. But damn if it didn't excite me. I'd never even contemplated something like that, so for me it was practically risqué.

"Wouldn't you rather I take you out on a date? Get to know each other first?"

"Nope. Guys like you break hearts of women like me. At this point in my life I have no room for heartbreak, nor do I have an interest in being in a relationship. This way you can get what you want and leave me alone. It's win-win, really."

He looked shocked and maybe a bit hurt. Like he hadn't done the same thing to hundreds of women. One thing Rose said was that her brother was up front about his intentions with the women he messed with. They always knew that he wasn't looking for anything serious. Guess he didn't like the tables being turned. Oh well, he could take it or leave it. I had no intention of letting a man like him anywhere near my heart.

"Well, since you put it that way. Come by the bar around ten Friday night."

The rest of lunch was spent eating while Edward watched me like a hawk. It was like he was trying to figure me out, but really there was nothing for him to get. I'd been up front and completely honest with him from the get-go. I was too old and had far too much going on in life to be playing a game with him.

He walked me back to the office, not bothering with the hand-holding or schmoozing anymore. It just let me know that I was making the right decision, and that he'd lay off just knowing he was going to get what he wanted. I breathed a sigh of relief when he dropped me at my desk, placing a soft kiss on my lips that had me very excited for Friday night.

Alice bombarded me with questions and I filled her in. She was a good friend, if not a little excitable. But she was a hopeless romantic and thought I was making the wrong choice. That I should have held out and made him fall madly in love with me. I, of course, reminded her that this wasn't a book or movie, and the only male heart that I was concerned with belonged to a four-year-old.

But it didn't stop me from spending the week waiting for Friday. Most women would have gotten waxed or primped themselves for what was to come, but truthfully, I was going in there just being me. If he didn't like it, oh well. I wasn't planning on trying to keep him around. There was no need to try and impress him. Although I did wear my sexy, matching lace bra and panty set. More to give me courage than anything. But I dressed casually, in a t-shirt and jeans.

By the time I dropped off C.J. who barely spared me a glance goodbye, and made my way to the bar, I was a nervous wreck. I'd talked a good talk, but when it came down to it, I was scared shitless. It had been a really long time, and what if I'd hyped up the whole thing in my head. Maybe he really wasn't that good and I'd be going home disappointed.

Or maybe he would be fantastic and I'd end up wanting more. Nothing good could come of that. But either way, it was too late to turn back. I got there about 30 minutes early, wanting to have a drink- or five- before our little rendezvous.

I made my way to the opposite end of the bar that Edward was working, and ordered a shot of tequila and a beer from the other bartender. As if Edward could feel me there, he turned and met my eyes. He looked tense and I had to wonder if he was as ready as I was. Because seeing him there definitely had me ready. The shot and the beer I downed may have helped a little as well.

"Jared, I'm taking my break," he said, never taking his eyes off of me.

He hadn't texted or called since our lunch, which had only built the anticipation for me. So when he dragged me to the back of the bar and up a flight of stairs I had to wonder where we were going. We ended up at a little apartment above the bar. It looked used but not lived in, and I immediately knew that he'd brought many a woman here. But I didn't care because when his green eyes met mine I was set on fire from the inside out.

"I really wish I had more time to do this with you. I don't like being rushed, especially with something that I wanted to take so much pleasure in. I wanted to savor every inch of your body, but we don't have time for that."

He immediately started removing his clothes and ordered me to do the same. My body wasn't awful, but I had stretch marks from having C.J., and my stomach wasn't flat anymore. But Edward didn't seem to mind as his hands grazed the ugly marks.

And then nothing mattered because we were both naked except our underwear and he was kissing me. Just his kiss was like nothing I'd ever felt. All consuming and full of a heat that flooded my entire body. Then his hands were gripping my ass, lifting me so that I could feel him pressing against me right where I wanted him.

"I want to be inside of you, Bella. Do you want me? Tell me you want me."

"Yes. I want you, Edward."

"Tell me what you want me to do to you. I need to hear you say it." He kissed me, stealing my breath, so when he finally pulled back for me to answer I was barely coherent.

"Fuck me," I whispered against his lips.

His strong hands tore my pretty, lace panties and he freed his dick from his underwear letting it slide back and forth between my wet lips. Every pass he made had me trembling with anticipation. Had me wanting the real thing. I wanted to feel him filling me over and over again. I shifted so that his head slipped inside and we both groaned loudly.

"Shit, condom," I thankfully came to my senses long enough to remember that. I might have been on birth control, but I wasn't taking any chances with anything.

"Dammit," he cursed, pulling back and dragging me back to a bedroom where he pushed me onto a bed and grabbed a condom from the nightstand. I noticed that his hands shook as he slid it on, but what captured my attention was how hard he was. Long and smooth and absolutely perfect.

"I want more time. I want to taste you. Damn you for making me rush," he cursed as he laid on top of me.

"Please, Edward." I was wound so tight that just the thought of him being inside of me made me want to cum.

Then he was easing into me, stretching me, filling me. My back arched off of the bed, breasts brushing against his chest. His loud moan filled the room before he pulled out and slammed back in.

There was nothing gentle or sweet. It was primal and amazing. Not once did I close my eyes, because watching him move was breathtaking. Seeing the veins pop out in his neck and arms as he strained to hold back was a sight I didn't think I'd ever forget. His eyes had darkened to a deep emerald, and one of his hands grasped my chest almost painfully. I loved it.

There was nothing more erotic than watching a man like Edward lose himself. Within minutes I was coming undone around him, his name falling from my lips which he captured in a harsh, uncontrolled kiss.

"You're so beautiful when you come. And when you say my name… Holy shit, Bella."

He rolled us over so that I was perched on top of him. "I want to watch you, the way you watched me," he said between moans.

I'd never been one for being on top. It was like being laid bare. Gave the man too much time to see every little thing. Every little flaw. But with Edward I felt powerful. Sexy.

I leaned back, grasping his thighs with my hands to give me more leverage as I began to move. His hands roamed everywhere, not content to stay in one spot. I'd never felt so desired in my life. Head thrown back, chest pushed out, I moved on top of him. At first, I rode him, slow and sensually, but soon his hips were thrusting up to meet me and I was leaned forward, pressing on his shoulders for balance.

My thighs burned as I worked myself faster and harder, meeting each thrust with one of my own. We found a rhythm that had us both panting and groaning. His hands gripped my ass, moving me harder against him. It bordered on being painful, but I loved it. I wanted his hands printed on my skin there. A reminder.

The thought had me coming again and had him swelling inside of me and pulling me closer. He throbbed and twitched, our sweaty skin still pressed against each other. Then he was kissing me everywhere and his hands were in my hair while his arms kept me from moving away from him.

"I want you to stay here," he said as he ran his hands over my heated flesh. "Then when I'm done with work I want you to come home with me. I need… I have to be inside of you again tonight."

"You're _still_ inside of me," I teased, trying to lighten the heavy mood that seemed to linger.

It had been so different than I'd expected. Though it wasn't romantic, or tender, there was a passion between us that had him swelling inside of me again.

"Edward," I moaned as he thrust gently.

"You feel this. I know you do. This all-consuming electricity when we touch. I thought that being inside of you would sate it, but I only want you more. Tell me you'll come home with me tonight. Tell me I can have you again."

I wanted to cry as he pulled out of me and discarded the used condom. But the sight of him hard and wet was too much. I didn't want him walking into the bar like that, other women looking on with lust at something that was meant for me. And the current hard-on he was sporting was mine.

I took him in my mouth, tasting latex and cum. He moaned something about not having time, but if there was one thing that Demetri had ever told me, it was that I could give head like a champ. I wanted to smile when Edward gasped as I slid him all the way down the back of my throat and guided his hands into my hair. I felt powerful and bold as I sucked and licked him into a frenzy. I whimpered and licked my lips when he pulled me away and grabbed another condom from the nightstand before sliding it on.

Still on my hands and knees, he spun me around and slid into me from behind. My hips moved back to accommodate every thrust, and the only sounds in the room were our moans and the slapping of skin. My hand reached between my legs to where we were joined and I rubbed furiously at my oversensitive clit. His pounding grew frantic as I cried out his name, finding my release once again. He followed shortly after.

Our time together was cut short by a knocking on the door. A feminine voice letting Edward know that Garrett needed him down at the bar.

"Will you stay?" He asked as we both got dressed.

"Um… I don't think…"

"_Don't_ think, Bella. Just feel. Wait for me tonight." His tone was insistent, almost manic.

That was enough to tell me I needed to go. We were fire and passion together. When we came together it was too much. I would lose myself in him and it would end so, so badly.

"It's not a good idea, Edward. I need to go home."

He ground his teeth together and yanked his shirt over his head roughly.

"This isn't over, Bella. You know this wasn't enough." Then he kissed me again and I melted against him.

"I'm going to go down there smelling of your sex, Bella. All night long it's all I will think of. And you smell like me. So when you go home, try and wash me off of your skin, but it won't work and we both know it."

He left, slamming the door as he went and I drove home, absolutely bewildered. There had never been anything in my life that felt like Edward when our bodies moved together. He pushed and pulled and my body complied, moving seamlessly with his. I'd never felt so _alive_.

I fell into a restless sleep only to be awoken around three am by a pounding on my door. Somehow I knew it was him. I didn't know how he knew where I lived, but I knew why he'd come. He'd texted me around midnight saying that he could still feel me, smell me.

I opened my door for him and he pushed me back against it, wasting no time with pleasantries. His eagerness, his want for me, made it hard to breathe as he took me against the inside of my front door without even removing all of our clothes.

After, he carried me to bed where we slept for a few hours only to have him awaken me again, wanting and needing. It was slower that time. He learned every inch of my body before taking me slowly and deeply. Both of us were exhausted, but we knew… we _knew_ that we had to take in the moment. That there couldn't be another. Well, I knew, and I suspected that he did if the way he clung to me after was any indication.

I woke before he did and quickly showered and dressed.

"Where are you going?" He asked groggily, trying to pull me back in bed as I walked past.

In the light of day, everything had come back into focus. As much as I didn't want to, as hard as I talked, I knew I would fall in love with Edward if I let myself. He was charismatic and beautiful. Not to mention could make my body sing in a way that no one ever had. I thought that sleeping with him would get him out of my system but all it had done was push him deeper under my skin. I had to stay as far away from that man as possible.

"I have to go to Rose's for breakfast," I told him.

"Oh, well, is this a girl thing, or can I come too?"

"What are you doing, Edward? You know what this was." I didn't look at him when I spoke.

"I know perfectly well what this was. And so do you, even if you refuse to admit it. But that's fine. You'll be back, and I'll be waiting." He smirked cockily, not showing an ounce of emotion.

"Well, aren't you the confident one?"

"I am, but we both know that you'll be back for this. Our bodies together… last night was amazing, and I know that your life is complicated. And you're right, I don't want a relationship. But why can't we let this play out? Be friends with benefits. A mutual agreement that gives us both what we need without any of the emotional attachment?"

Of course that's what he would want.

"Edward, I have a son. I can't just meet up with you anytime you want to screw around. And I will _not_ have that around him. Just because his father has a revolving door of women running around does not mean that I'll be doing that. I can't afford for something like this to touch him in any way. He loves Rose and Emma, and if this ended badly- which it would, let's face it- he would be devastated when we couldn't be around them anymore because things would be awkward and people would take sides. He comes first. Always."

Edward looked at me, mulling over my words. He knew that I was serious, but I could tell that he wasn't willing to let it go.

"I get that Bella, I do. And I applaud you for being a great mother. But I'm not asking to be a part of your lives. I'm just saying that when the mood strikes you could come to me. Just think about it."

He got dressed and left, and I went to Rose's. The second I walked in she knew something was up.

"You got laid!" She whisper-yelled. "Holy shit, you screwed my brother! Bella!"

"Rose! Shh. Why would you think that?"

"Oh, come on. He's hard to resist. It's a Cullen thing. And the look on your face tells me everything I need to know. I don't want details, because eww, but Bella… I don't want you to get hurt."

"It was a one night thing. I made that very clear to him this morning. I have no intentions of this becoming something, and absolutely no intention of letting my heart get involved. I know who he is, Rose. Just needed to knock the cobwebs off, so to speak."

She nodded but didn't say anything else. Thankfully Emmett and the girls came in to greet us and halted anymore conversation on the subject. Every once in a while Rose would look at me and giggle a little. I didn't even want to know what she was thinking.

A week passed and it was surprisingly easy to forget about the night I shared with Edward. To pass it off as nothing more than a really good, really vivid dream.

C.J. and work took up all of my time as usual, and when Demetri called to ask for time with my little guy, I had a talk with him about what was appropriate behavior around our son. And then when C.J. flat out refused to go, I didn't make him. Instead I told Demetri that he could come over for dinner if he really wanted to spend time with him. He declined and that was that.

"Mommy?" C.J. questioned the next Friday as we drove home.

"What, baby?"

"We gonna' go play with Emma this weekend?"

"I don't know. I think Miss Rose has to work this weekend, but I'll call her when we get home, how about that?" I asked, looking in the rear view mirror.

Both of our weeks had been busy and we hadn't been able to hang out at all, and only got to talk a few times on the phone. We hadn't mentioned my night with her brother, but I could tell that she was dying to ask. It wasn't like her to keep quiet, so I knew it was killing her.

Edward had texted too, a few times. He never mentioned our night either apart from once.

_I can still feel your lips on mine. Is it strange that I miss you? XO~E_

That was the only text that even hinted at anything. Otherwise they were actually pretty mild. Mostly just "how was your day" or random jokes. Nothing too personal. Just enough to keep a line of communication open between us. Just enough to remind me that he was still there. To make me think about him and the way it felt to have his hands on my body.

I was positive that he was the devil.

The second we were in the house C.J. was bouncing up and down, begging me to call Rose. Poor kid was having Emma withdrawals.

"You just caught me, girlie! What are you and my future son-in-law up to?" Was how Rose answered the phone.

"Not much. Your future son-in-law is dying to see my future daughter-in-law. You have any free time this weekend?"

"Well… you know Mom has been bugging me to have you two over. And we are having a cookout there tomorrow…" she trailed off, her tone letting me know that Edward would be there but that she wanted me to come anyway.

"I don't know, Rose. I really don't like the idea of introducing him to C.J.. It would just be weird, I think."

"Oh, come on, Bella. Just because you boned my brother doesn't mean that you are allowed to get out of hanging out with my crazy family all at once! Plus, Edward isn't really a kid person, so it's not like he'll be spending a lot of time hanging around C.J."

"Fine, but only if I clear it with Edward first. I don't want him to think I'm some weirdo stalker trying to show up at his parents' house."

"Fine, whatever. But you know he'll say that it's fine. I'll text you their address. See you tomorrow!"

We hung up and I immediately texted Edward.

_Rose asked me to your family BBQ tomorrow. Is that cool? –B_

Just a few seconds later he responded.

_Of course it's cool. It will be good to see you – E_

_Bringing my son, so don't get any ideas –B_

_Wouldn't dream of it ;) –E_

I didn't believe him for a second.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I just write this for fun. The characters aren't mine, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

**Sorry this is so late in the day, but it's still Wednesday! My life is nuts right now and today was a long one. Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers out there! You guys are so awesome! And TwiWifeLife, is my amazing pre-reader and banner-maker! She's just all around awesome!**

**Thank you to princess07890 for reminding me to include the characters' ages! So here they are:**

**Bella: 32**

**CJ: 4**

**Edward: 36**

**James: 38**

**Victoria: 38**

**Rosalie: 34**

**Emmett: 35**

**And if anyone cares about Demetri: 34**

**Chapter 3**

I was far more nervous than I should have been when I pulled up in front of the Cullen home. It was huge, like something out of a magazine. But it somehow managed to look homey and lived in. But what really had me worried was the fact that my son and Edward would be in the same place at the same time. I hoped that his lack of interest in children would keep them apart as well as making him less appealing to me.

"Charlie!" Little miss Emma bolted out the front door, wrapping her arms around C.J.

We all thought it was hilarious that she refused to call him C.J., instead preferring Charlie like a "grown up".

"Emma!"

They immediately held hands as she dragged him up the massive front porch and into the house. Rose greeted me with a hug and ushered me in after the kids. I didn't look around like I wanted to because I could feel Edward's eyes on me. I'd dressed in a comfortable summer dress with a pair of flip flops, hoping not to be too out of place among the Cullens. And I was glad I'd gone with the dress because Esme looked like something that stepped out of a magazine.

"Hey!" I heard my son's voice and looked up to see him in front of Edward who looked terrified. "Who are you? I'm Charlie James Hunter, but Momma calls me C.J.! Dat's my momma over there!"

"Uh," Edward started, running his fingers through his unruly hair, "my name is Edward. Esme and Carlisle are my parents and Rose is my sister. I'm also a friend of your mom's."

My son's head snapped in my direction, a mischievous glint in his eyes. That boy was never up to anything good. I tried to give him my best "mom" look to tell him not to try anything, but I knew my child and _he_ knew that I wouldn't cause a scene in public.

"My daddy has friends that are girls. They sleep in his bed. Do you sleep in my Momma's bed?"

Edward started coughing and I could hear Emmett's booming laugh throughout the house.

I decided to head off that conversation. "C.J., Mr. Edward and I aren't that kind of friends, and your daddy is… well, it's not polite to talk about those sorts of things. Why don't you and Emma go play?"

"Kay, Momma. But Pop and Uncle James says that I hafta protect you from boyfriends. But Daddy is always happy when his friends have sleepovers, so I thought maybe if you had one you'd be happy too. And I really like the colors on Mr. Edward's arms. Can I color on your arms, Mr. Edward?" He turned his attention to Edward whose face was turning red.

"Yeah, Unca Edward! But, Charlie, his arms is full, see? But we can color him pictures and he can put 'em somewhere else!" Emma clapped and bounced at the idea.

Edward just looked uncomfortable while Esme gushed about what a sweet idea it was and ushered the kids into the "art room" so that they could get the creative juices flowing. Emmett came over and wrapped a meaty arm around my shoulders.

"I really love that kid of yours, even if he does spend a lot of time macking on my little girl. I've never seen Eddie-boy blush like that. It was fuc… I mean freaking awesome!"

"Yes, well, my son has absolutely no verbal filter, and really enjoys making people uncomfortable, so sorry for that, Edward."

"It's fine," Edward answered and left the room.

I supposed that seeing me as a mom completely turned him off. As much as I knew that was a good thing, it still stung. But it also reminded me that I was doing the right thing by swearing off of men. Relationships were hard enough without adding baggage to the mix. Now to me, my son was a blessing, not baggage, but most men didn't see it that way.

Rose sneered at her brother's retreating form and made her way over to me, leading me out onto the back patio where Carlisle was getting the grill ready. Next to him stood a tall blonde that looked very much like Carlisle.

"Peter? I want you to meet my friend, Bella. Peter is my cousin. He just moved here a couple of months ago." Rose introduced and Peter shook my hand.

"Hi, Bella, it's very nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Seems like I'm a popular topic of discussion," I teased before telling him that it was nice to meet him too.

We gathered around the grill and made small talk until I realized that I hadn't heard my child in a while. That usually meant that he was into something so I excused myself and went to find him. The house was huge and I only had a general idea in which direction the art room was. So, of course, I ended up getting lost. But the sound of giggling led me to where I needed to be. Only I didn't find what I expected.

Edward was lying face down on the floor, shirtless while C.J. and Emma drew on his back with markers. Esme had a camera out, snapping pictures of the scene and I just stood in the doorway watching. His face was relaxed as the kids colored all over the blank skin of his back. It was utterly adorable, and I swear, my ovaries started talking to me.

I'd never planned to have another child. My pregnancy with C.J. hadn't been an easy one and with him being born so early I just didn't know that I could do it again. Not to mention that I had no man, nor did I want one. Not even one as good looking as Edward. Though my lady parts tended to disagree.

"Momma! C'mere! Look at the pictures we drawed!"

"Drew, baby. And I see. They are beautiful! Can you tell me what I'm looking at?"

I walked over and knelt down next to my son, ignoring how close I was to Edward's naked upper half.

"Well, dat's you and me! And dat's the puppy you're gonna get me. And this one is you, me, and Eddie, cause he lets me color on him. Daddy never lets me color on him. Daddy never does anything with me." His bottom lip stuck out in a pout and once again I found myself wanting to hunt down my ex and kick his ass.

What I ever saw in that asshat I'll never know.

"Unca Eddie! Is dis gonna stay on like the pictures on your arm?"

"Uh… well, they'll probably wash off when I take a shower. Sorry, kiddo." Emma gave him a cute little pout at his words, but she bounced back quickly.

"C'mon Charlie! Let's go beat up my Daddy."

They took off and Esme snuck out with them, leaving me alone with Edward who rolled over onto his back giving me a view of his perfect chest and drool-worthy abs.

"When are you gonna' let me inside of you again, Bella?"

His gaze was so intense that it was like I could literally feel his hands on me again.

"Edward…" I said with a sigh, moving to stand, but he quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me on top of him.

"I can't stop thinking about you, Bella. It wasn't enough. I need you again. And if your son wasn't here I would drag you to my old room and make you remember just how perfectly our bodies fit together. Tell me that you don't think about it."

His hand slid under the back of my dress, groping my ass and I knew I needed to get out of there. My child could walk in at any moment and there was no way that I was exposing him to something like that. His father had exposed him to enough.

"Please, Edward. Stop." I was pleading now because I _did_ remember. And remembering that night was a dangerous thing for me.

"I'm not one of those women that's okay being someone's screw buddy. I did what I did that night hoping to get you to back off." I pulled myself up and thankfully he let me.

"And I'll admit that it was an amazing night. But it also reminded me that I'm just not _that_ woman. As much as I don't want a relationship, I know that I can't separate sex and emotion. I know that the same way that I know that you can't combine the two."

He looked like he wanted to protest, but instead his head thumped against the floor in defeat.

"That doesn't make you a bad guy, Edward. Hell, you're honest, which is more than I can say for most guys. I think your honesty is what actually makes you one of the good ones. But it also makes you trouble for women like me because while I might talk a good game, I'm really a romantic at heart, and all romantics look for those happy endings. And I think our ideas of happy endings may differ just a little." I winked and wiggled my eyebrows hoping to lighten the mood and it worked.

I smiled sweetly when he let out a low chuckle.

"You're one of the good ones too, Bella. And for the first time in my life I really wish I was a one woman man."

He squeezed my hand and I squeezed back, happy that we'd cleared the air. That rush of electricity still tingled where we touched but I did my best to ignore it.

"Well, I better go and find my little heathen before he brings the house down. Thanks for letting him draw on you, by the way. You may not know it but you just made his day."

With that I stood and walked out of the room. I could hear Edward thud his head against the floor a few more times and I smiled a little.

"Bella!" Rosalie yelled when I reached her line of vision. "I was just talking to Peter about you! He's a kindergarten teacher at a private school here in Port Angeles and he thinks C.J. would be a great candidate for the school he works at."

"Oh yeah?" I asked.

"He's extremely intelligent." Peter replied with a grin.

"Yes, he is. Sadly most of his intelligence goes toward causing trouble. But I love his mischievous little self."

"Perhaps we could meet for dinner and I could tell you more about the school?" Peter offered.

I looked to Rosalie trying to see if this was a set up. If he was asking me on a date. The fact that she looked like the cat that ate the canary told me all I needed to know. She was trying to set me up while her brother, which she knew I'd had sex with, was in the house. I wasn't sure what she thought she was going to accomplish, but I knew when Edward entered the room because she grinned like an idiot.

"Eddie, Peter here was just asking Bella to dinner. Don't you think it's a great idea? He's a nice guy, she's a nice girl…"

I shouldn't have looked. I shouldn't have wanted to know how he felt about it, but somehow I just couldn't help myself. Edward's jaw ticked and his nostrils flared. His eyes met mine and I just knew that he was jealous. Of me.

_Focus, Bella. You don't care if he's jealous._

"I think it's Bella's decision." Edward said as he shot me a look heavy with a meaning that I didn't understand. And they say women are confusing. Like I'm supposed to know what his looks mean when I barely know him.

"Uh…." I tried to stall, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Okay, I have a feeling that I'm being thrown in the middle of something, here. Bella, you're most definitely uncomfortable and I apologize. The offer for dinner is still out there, but I'm going to let you think about it." Peter stood up and glared at both Rosalie and Edward, but like a true gentlemen he didn't play into whatever game they were playing.

If I hadn't been with Edward I probably would have found him extremely attractive. But I most certainly wasn't going to start some sort of family love triangle. I almost snorted at the very thought.

Love and Edward Cullen just didn't even belong in the same sentence. Well, unless you were talking about all of the women that had surely fallen in love with him.

"Rosalie, I can't believe you put Bella on the spot like that," Edward chastised once Peter left the room.

"You can't believe I put Bella on the spot? Or you can't believe I put _you_ on the spot?" She crossed her arms over her ample chest reminding me why I'd given her the name Tits Magee that first night.

"Yeah, this isn't a conversation that I want to be a part of. I'm going to go and find C.J. because I think it's time for us to go home."

"No!" They both yelled then glared at one another.

"Look, Bella, I'm sorry," Rose began, "but I just wanted you to find a _good _guy. I love my brother, but you would only end up heartbroken with him. And I was hoping that Edward would stop being a selfish brat for once and let go."

"Rose!" I stopped her. "Edward and I have come to an agreement. Acquaintances is it for us."

"Wait a minute. I was thinking we could at least be friends." That sly smirk crossed his face and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Now we both know that's a bad idea," I teased.

Rose scrunched up her face in a frown. I could tell that she wasn't thrilled with the idea of Edward and I having even an ounce of contact. But I didn't need her to tell me that he was trouble. I knew that from the very first moment I walked into that bar.

"Don't worry, Rosie," Edward began, sounding a little bitter, "as much as I would love to pursue something with the very lovely Bella, I'll respect her decision. After all, what could I possibly have to offer to a woman like her?"

He tried to smile at me, but I could tell that it was forced. Was he actually hurt? How was that even possible?

"Eddie," Rose said with a sigh, but he quickly left the room.

We both watched him go in stunned silence.

"Well, Bella, I think you've done the impossible and got my brother to show an interest in a woman past that of casual sex. I'm going to have to apologize to him now, dammit."

"Who kicked Eddie's puppy?" Emmett asked as he walked into the room with C.J. draped over one shoulder and Emma over the other.

"Eddie has a puppy?!" My child perked up and all three of the adults in the room winced.

"Sorry," Emmett mouthed at me. I tried to glare at him, but it was hard to when he was flashing those dimples of his.

"No, he doesn't have a puppy. It was just an expression. Emmett was just making a joke."

"Why would he joke about kicking a puppy? That's ugly, Momma," C.J. said with a pout.

"You're right, it was ugly, baby." I tried for a subject change. "Are you hungry, buddy, cause something sure smells good."

"Uh huh! Cause Emma said her grandpa is gonna make us steaks! Do I like steaks, Momma?"

"You do, buddy. Remember when you helped Pop grill last week? That was steak and you liked that."

"Okay!"

His enthusiasm was so genuine and I really wished life was that simple. Just being excited about the things that made you happy in that moment and not worrying about the future and what it held for you. If I could do that I could separate sex with Edward and all the romantic stuff that could ruin me. Then I could have my cake and eat it too. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?

When we all sat down to eat, I was surprised when Edward sat next to me. I would occasionally feel his gaze on me, which was confirmed when everyone else at the table, minus the kids, seemed to stare at us both.

"So, Bella," Esme broke the tension with her sweet voice. Her sweet voice that was full of meddling. "What are your plans for this evening?"

"Oh, uh, C.J. and I are going to head home and watch a movie."

"Monsters! Da one where they go to school to be scary, right Momma?" C.J. piped in with a mouth full of food.

"That's right, baby."

"And we're gonna have ice cream, right?"

"You betcha!" I smiled brightly at my son.

"My mom's da best! She watches my movies with me, and she plays with me! She even plays my games. But I'm better at dem dan she is! Right, Momma?"

"You sure are. Mommy and the Wii are not friends."

That caused Emmett to jump in and go off on how much harder kids video games are now compared to when we were kids. I was glad to have the attention taken off of me. Too bad Esme wasn't going to let me off that easily.

"You know, we have a huge TV and we were planning on having a movie night here. You guys are welcome to stay. I'm sure Emma would be willing to watch Monsters tonight instead of Cinderella. Wouldn't you, Emma?"

Edward groaned quietly beside me. I think he just wanted the day to be over with. To be honest, so did I. Just being in his presence was exhausting . Mainly because of the sexual tension between us that seemed to have every hair on my body standing on end just waiting for him to touch me again.

Then I felt guilty for obviously being such a dirty pervert and thinking about it with my son right there. And Edward's entire family. It was all my stupid vagina's fault. I couldn't help it that he turned her into a hoochie.

In a completely stupid move I reached over and gave Edward's hand a small squeeze beneath the table to let him know I would get him out of it. I saw him smile at me from the corner of my eye. He really was so gorgeous that it made it painful to look at him sometimes.

"Sorry, guys, but my brother and his fiancé are coming over for movie night tonight." I apologized and while Esme pouted I could tell that she would accept that.

Unfortunately my son was paying attention to the conversation.

"They are?! Unca Jamie said him and Pop was gonna' play cards, Momma."

I kept my face composed and tried not to show any signs of agitation at my sweet little loudmouth's outburst of information.

Rose bit her lower lip to hold back a laugh. Bitch-ass.

"Yeah, Bella, I thought that's what you told me too," she threw out there.

Edward chuckled.

"I think Bella's just trying to find a polite way to say no, Mom. Really she's just trying to avoid me."

The asshole was throwing me under the bus with his mother!

"Why would she be trying to avoid you? I thought nothing was going on between you two?" I swear the woman looked crazy in her excitement.

"Ma, we'll talk about this later. I'm sure this isn't a conversation that Bella would like to have in front of certain little ears."

"I have little ears, Eddie! You talkin' about me?" C.J. piped up and I wanted to crawl in a hole and die because now everyone at the table was trying to hold in their laughter at my discomfort.

"You all S-U-C-K, that's all I'm saying."

Edward leaned back and wrapped a tattooed arm around the back of my chair.

"Come on, Bella. I'm game if you are. And if I'm being honest, I sort of love Disney movies and I haven't seen that one yet."

"Are you serious right now? Or am I just that charming that you'd say anything to get me to stick around?" I teased which earned me a wink.

But sometimes it's easy to forget that you have an audience. Emmett cleared his throat and grinned when I met his gaze.

"Please, no flirting in front of the kids," he said because he was obviously an asshole.

"Shut it, Em," Edward interrupted before he could embarrass me further.

C.J. was looking at me and smiled so big I thought his cheeks would split open. Then he turned to Edward.

"Emma says when her daddy flirts with her mommy that they kiss. Are you trying to kiss my mommy?"

I resisted the urge to smack my head on the table. Repeatedly. Edward, for his part, remained cool as a cucumber. It made me hate him just a little bit.

"Do you _want_ me to kiss your mom?"

I elbowed him in the gut for even asking my child a question like that but he just grabbed my arm and smirked.

"Well," C.J. looked thoughtful, "I dunno. Maybe. Would my mommy like you kissing her?"

All of the adults in the room, minus Emmett who didn't hold back, tried to hide their laughter with fake coughs.

"Charlie James, those are not appropriate questions…"

"I think she would like it a lot, actually," Edward butted in. That time I stomped on his toe under the table and he winced.

"Do it! Kiss 'er! Do iiiiiiiiiiiiittttt!"

I've always loved my child. Really, I have, but right then I sort of wanted to tape his cute little mouth shut.

Edward smirked at me and I shook my head in the negative, letting him know that I was _not_ on board with the idea he had cooking.

"I think it's most definitely time for us to go home. You are all bad influences on my son," I teased and everyone laughed.

"Oh come on, I'll behave, I promise. Scout's honor."

"You were not a boy scout," Rosalie told Edward with a playful scowl.

"Whatever. I'll behave. I swear."

"Puhleeeeeeease, Momma?" C.J. begged, knowing his pouty face was hard to resist.

Then everyone else decided to join in, making my son giggle with Emma.

"Fine! You're all a bunch of babies, I swear. But after the movie we're going home. Deal?" I asked, looking pointedly at my son.

"Sure, Momma! Come on, Emma! Let's go find da movie!"

I looked at his plate, relieved that he'd eaten most of what I put on it. We all finished up eating and made our way to the "entertainment room". That was rich people speak for a big-ass, in-home movie theater. C.J. and Emma sat front-and-center right in front of the huge screen and Edward sat to my left while Rosalie sat on my right.

"I'm watching you, oh-brother-of-mine," Rosalie said as she leaned across my lap.

"I'm terrified, Rose. Can't you tell?"

I rolled my eyes because that was just sibling banter. James and I loved to antagonize each other. Bickering was one of our greatest joys.

"Shhh! Da movie's starting!" My son warned making Edward and Emmett chuckle.

We sat quietly, watching the adventures of Mike and Sully. My son's eyes were wide with delight, the way they always were when he watched this particular movie. I wished that I could focus on the movie, but all I could focus on was the way Edward's arm would brush against mine every time he breathed. Or how good he smelled. It was even worse when he stretched out his arm behind me, letting his hand rest on my shoulder.

He was the devil, I was sure of it. Gorgeous and dangerously tempting. The smirk on his face told me that he knew exactly what he was doing to me. Asshat.

By the time the movie was over, Emma was passed out and C.J. was well on his way to joining her. I was glad to have an excuse to get the hell out of there before I did something completely stupid like agree to "crash there" as Edward had offered. Though he did walk me to my car, opening the door so I could put a sleepy C.J. in his car seat.

"You know," he began, "I really had a good time today. You and the kid are a lot of fun to be around."

"Yeah, well, we're pretty awesome," I teased.

"You won't hear any arguments from me there," Edward said with a wink.

I looked up and noticed that practically his entire family was looking at us from the window. Emmett waved when he saw that I noticed them. Those people had absolutely no shame.

"We have an audience." I nodded in the direction of the house.

"That doesn't surprise me. I have the nosiest family on the planet. Rose is watching to make sure that I don't try anything and my mother is hoping that I will because that would be _sooooo romantic_," he said the last part in an imitation of Esme's voice.

"Yeah, well is my family is just as bad, so no worries. If Victoria were here she'd be yelling out the window for me to take you home and…" I looked down at a sleeping C.J. but still decided to censor myself, "do naughty things to you. She's got a mouth like a trucker and the mind of a pubescent teenage boy, which is why she's perfect for my brother."

We both laughed and then he reached his hand up to touch my cheek.

"I like you, Bella. More than I should," he admitted.

"Yeah, well, why wouldn't you? I'm fantastic." I teased, hoping to ease some of the tension I felt between us.

"I'm being serious here. I know I'm not the kind of guy to be faithful, but we could give it a try, couldn't we? I mean, tonight was fun, my family loves you, and I enjoyed spending time with you and the kid. It could work."

"Edward, there are a lot of women that you could like and have a good time with. Women that only have to worry about themselves. Because if I get hurt, my son gets hurt. Or what if he gets attached? When things fall apart, and let's face it they would, he would be left wondering why another man walked out of his life. It's just not something I can risk. If we were different people in different situations, then sure we could try. But we're not. And I think you know that as well as I do."

I just wasn't sure why he was pushing so hard. I'm sure there was no shortage of women ready to give him whatever he wanted but for some reason he'd focused on me. I'd always heard that men like him were all about the chase, and while I was sure that was a big part of it, I believed Edward when he said he genuinely liked me.

"What if I don't know that?" He whispered, stepping closer so that I was pressed up against the car.

"I'm not a heartless bastard. Just because I've never had a real relationship before it doesn't mean that I'm not capable. And you could just as easily break my heart, you know. I'm just not so willing to give up on the idea of there being an us. So you don't want us to get romantically involved? Okay, so let's be friends. Let me show you that I can be the type of person that you and C.J. can count on, then we'll go from there."

"You're smooth, Edward. I'll give you that."

I gently closed the car door so that C.J. wouldn't be able to hear what else I wanted to say if he woke up.

"Look, we both know that being friends is going to end up with us in bed. There's too much sexual tension here for us to ignore it for long. I'm woman enough to admit that, and I've already told you that I can't separate sex and emotion, so that would leave us right where we are now, only then I would be emotionally invested."

"But what if it didn't end badly?" He began. "Just give me a shot, Bella. If you don't want sex, then we will keep our hands to ourselves. I just want to spend time with you. Get to know you. This is new for me, Bella. The women I'm with know the deal, and not once have I ever tried for anything more. But I find myself really wanting to try with you."

I sighed heavily. I knew that Edward liked me for more than just casual sex, and I didn't think he was a bad guy. If I didn't have a son that had already been let down by one man that hurt us both, I would have been all over it.

"If I could afford to _try_ with a professed manwhore I would be completely on board with seeing what we could be together. But my son… he doesn't show it, but he's been really hurt by his dad and I just can't take a gamble with his fragile little heart. But friends I can do. If you can resist all of this hotness that is."

Edward laughed and pulled me into a hug.

"It will be a challenge, but I'll do my best. I mean, I _have_ seen you naked, after all, so that might make things a little _harder_ but I'm confident that I can behave myself."

And so began my friendship with Edward Cullen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Before I say or do anything else, I need to thank TwiWifeLife for being my pre-reader/beta! This chapter was an absolute MESS and she took time (while being sick, bless her) to go over it with a fine-tooth comb to make sure it made it onto the site and not into the trash bin! She is AMAZING and I adore her!**

**Now, for the rec's on the Facebook pages. Some of you couldn't remember which page, but thank you to all who have recommended this story! And Midnight Cougar… thank you for recommending Trouble at the Lemonade Stand (I'm still fan-girling at even having my story on that site).**

**Now for my readers and reviewers… You guys are so freaking awesome! There are no words! I am so sorry for any reviews that I didn't get the chance to reply to. Apparently real life has decided to kick my ass this past week. So much so that this chapter almost didn't happen. But I want you all to know that I love you HARD!**

**Now enough gushing, and on with the story. Oh, and I don't own Twilight… yada yada… no copyright infringement intended… yada yada…**

**Chapter 4**

"And den… den Marcus said his daddy said _all_ little boys should have a puppy to teach them spons… sponsbility."

Marcus, a little boy in CJ's preschool was a product of divorced parents. Unfortunately for all of the rest of us divorced parents, Marcus' father thought giving his child whatever he wanted would keep him from being hurt by his actions as a shitty father. And his mother, while a total sweetheart, let him do it.

So every time little Marcus got what he wanted, I had to hear about it from my charming son. And now, Marcus had gotten a puppy. A freaking puppy!

"Well, baby, what Marcus' daddy does is between his daddy and mommy. And while it's good to learn responsibility, I want you to learn it _before_ getting a puppy. I'm sorry, buddy, but maybe we can go to the humane society later and they'll let you help walk some of the puppies, okay?"

CJ's bottom lip trembled, a sure sign that he was going to cry. I hated when he cried.

"I promise, baby boy, when you are old enough you can have the coolest, most awesome puppy on the planet."

"Okay, Momma," he said with a slight sniffle.

I really hated having that conversation over and over again. It was almost enough that I was very tempted to just give in and get him the damn puppy, but I knew that was a bad idea.

Fortunately, my son had the attention span of a gnat.

"Can we go to the park?" He asked only seconds later, making me breathe a sigh of relief.

"Sure, buddy."

Once at the park, I watched CJ lose himself in the thrill of playing with other kids. Every second that he spent smiling and playing was one less moment where he was being affected by the shitstorm that was his father.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, alerting me of an incoming text.

_Hey there friend. You and the kid free for dinner? –E_

Edward's text didn't surprise me at all. It had been two weeks since the barbecue at his parents, and our friendship was going swimmingly. CJ adored him and talked about him non-stop. Edward, surprisingly was a kid person. I don't think he'd even been prepared for how close he and my son would become so quickly.

_Well, I would need to check my hectic schedule. CJ and I are in high demand you know ;)_

I could practically see Edward shaking his head and chuckling at my response.

_I wouldn't want to keep you two from all of your important business. But I thought CJ would enjoy some Chuck E Cheese tonight –E_

_Do you even need to ask? We'll meet you there at six. –B_

"Come on, CJ! Edward wants to take us to Chuck E Cheese and you need a bath first!"

CJ ran as fast as his little feet would carry him, not even bothering to tell his friends goodbye. That was his usual reaction to hanging out with Edward. He bragged about him to the point that a few of the other mothers of kids in his class asked me if I had a boyfriend.

CJ chattered the entire way home, his giddiness was unfortunately interrupted by his father's ringtone blaring through the car.

"Bella," Demetri greeted coldly.

Ever since he and I had spoken about his behavior when CJ is around he'd been a complete ass. Making plans with CJ only to break them at the last minute. Treating me like some scorned ex, when really I could have cared less if his dick fell right off while he was screwing an entire harem of women. I only cared about what he exposed our child to.

"Hello, Demetri," I answered, glancing at CJ in the rearview mirror.

"I'm in the car with CJ," I warned, hoping to avoid any serious conversation with CJ present.

"I was just calling to see if I could come and get CJ this weekend."

Pulling into the driveway, I told Demetri to hold on so that I could get CJ settled in the house. If I knew Demetri, and I did, the conversation could go south quickly, so the less CJ heard the better. Once I was certain that his little ears were otherwise occupied, I slipped onto the porch to resume the conversation.

"I'm going to have to ask CJ about that. You haven't come through the past few times, and I am not willing to get his hopes up to have them crushed by you again."

"I told you, I was trying to work things out with Kate. She has to come first right now. She's… she's pregnant."

I looked up at the sky and released a deep breath. As if CJ wasn't already lacking in the attention he received from his father, I knew that he would get even less with a new baby around.

"What do you want me to say, Demetri? My only concern is CJ and how this will affect him. All I have to say to you is that unless you plan to actually follow through on seeing CJ, don't make the plans to begin with."

"Oh, stop being a jealous bitch, Bella," he growled, reminding me once again of why I loathed the man.

"This has _nothing_ to do with me being jealous! There is nothing that you have that I want. I only want my son to stop being hurt by you. So until you're ready to be a good father and follow through on your promises to CJ, don't bother calling anymore."

I hung up and fought the urge to hit something. Anything.

"Mommy?"

CJ's little voice trailed from inside the house, reminding me that I had more important things to think of besides wanting to strangle my ex-husband.

"Yes, my sweet boy?" I questioned, as I walked into the house.

"What did _he_ want?" He asked with a pout.

"He just had something to tell me. Can we talk for a minute, CJ?" I opened my arms and he immediately crawled into them.

"Suah, Mommy."

"How do you feel about spending time with Daddy?"

His bright blue eyes met mine, and I could see the uncertainty there.

"I don't like it. He's mean and he never plays wif me. Not like Emma's daddy or Eddie. And Kate don't like me. But dat's okay cause I don't like her either. She's stupid." The hurt was written all over his adorable little face, but I had to remind him that name-calling wasn't acceptable.

"Sowwy, Momma."

"It's okay, buddy. But does it make you sad about your daddy?"

"Sometimes, but being wif_ you_ makes me happy, Momma. You're my favorite."

"You're my favorite, too. But if you ever want to see your daddy, or if you feel sad or upset I want you to talk to me about it."

CJ looked thoughtful for a minute before finally speaking.

"Sometimes… sometimes, I wish he wasn't my daddy. He's not fun. He never does stuff wif me like other daddies. I don't wanna go over dere. I don't hafta anymore, right?"

I looked down at my sweet little boy, my heart completely broken for him. I wanted to respond with a _ hell no_. Unfortunately, Demetri had rights to our son, though I was thankful that I didn't have to worry about him being much of a problem. Half the time he didn't even show up. It was sad and a relief all at once every time he didn't follow through.

"Well, baby, he is still your daddy. I will talk to him, I promise. And I will definitely have a talk with Kate. Can you tell me how she's mean to you?" I asked, trying to calm myself before I jumped to conclusions.

"Um… she always makes me stay in my room. Dey don't even have a TV in dere, Momma! And she makes me eat yucky stuff, and takes my toys away all da time. And one time she spanked me on my face."

That was it. I could see the blood boiling behind my eyelids.

I knew I had to get myself under control before I lost my shit right there in front of my son. Eating yucky stuff didn't worry me. Because he labeled anything green as being yucky. But sticking him in his room with nothing to do and then laying her _hands_ on him? That was _unacceptable_.

"Buddy, I'm going to take care of it, I promise. Can you play on your iPad and put your headphones on?"

"Suah, Momma! Can I turn it up really loud?"

"Sure thing, bud. Mommy is just going to make a phone call."

I got CJ settled, making sure that he couldn't hear me before going into my bedroom and closing the door. I took a few seconds to catch my breath before I dialed the asshole's number.

"What, Bella?" He answered.

"Don't you _what_ me! Why don't you start by telling me why your little girlfriend slapped my son on the face?!"

"Excuse me?" He responded dubiously. "Kate would never -" I cut him off before he could defend her anymore.

"Why don't you ask that little bitch? Because pregnant or not, I'm about to come over there and stomp a mud hole in her skinny ass! Disciplining our son when he is there is _your_ job! And locking him in his room?! Demetri, I swear… I am _this_ close to losing it."

"What's going on, baby?" I heard Kate ask in the background.

Just hearing her whiny, nasally voice had my vision clouding over with a haze of unadulterated hate.

"Did you hit my son?" He asked, actually sounding angry with her.

"Which time? That kid is a brat! I got tired of him talking back to me, so I popped him a few times. So what?"

I swear I blacked out for a few moments. I barely registered Demetri yelling at her because I was too busy going over the many ways to kill her in my head. My son is a handful, I've never denied that. But my own father didn't even spank him because he believed that was a parents' place. It definitely wasn't the place of some barely-legal skank that didn't even know him.

"Bella, I know you're ready to come over here and handle this," Demetri interrupted my thoughts, "but I swear to you that I will handle this shit right now. I'm _so_ sorry, Bella."

"You better handle it or _I will_, Demetri," I spat before hanging up.

After taking a few moments to collect myself, I went back downstairs and was immediately thankful that CJ seemed completely undisturbed. I knew I needed to get him bathed and ready because we were already running late as it was. I shot Edward a quick text to let him know, before getting CJ ready.

Just as we were about to walk out the door, the doorbell rang. Worried it was Demetri, I peeked out the peephole only to see Edward standing on the front porch.

"Hey. I thought we were meeting you there," I greeted, as I ushered him in the front door.

"Your text seemed a little off, and I was worried. Hey, buddy!" He said as he lifted CJ into his tattooed arms.

My little man never got over his excitement at seeing Edward. Most of the time, it was like hanging out with two kids instead of just one, but I loved seeing my son so happy.

"Hey, Eddie! Momma says you're taking me to Chuck E Cheese! You da best, Eddie!" He wrapped his little arms around Edward's neck and squeezed.

"No way, little man! _You're_ the best! I'm just lucky that I get to hang out with the coolest little boy on the planet!"

"YES! Can we go now?" CJ practically bounced in Edward's arms in excitement.

"Sure, buddy. As soon as you put some shoes on. You can't go barefoot. So, get some shoes and I'll help you put them on, okay?"

"Okay, Eddie!"

As soon as CJ had run out of the room, Edward turned to me.

"What's wrong, babe?"

"Can I tell you about it later? I don't want CJ to overhear -" before I could go any further, CJ came bustling in, waving his shoes toward Edward.

He side-eyed me while getting CJ all ready to go. He wasn't pleased, but he was handling it better than I thought he would. I knew it was going to have to be addressed as soon as we got a moment to ourselves.

The drive to Chuck E. Cheese was filled with CJ's ramblings, mostly all directed toward Edward. Once we reached our destination, it was a mad dash to get the kid fed so that he could dive head-first into the world of Mario Kart. He quickly made a friend, and after providing him with a plethora of tokens, Edward and I made our way to the table.

"So, what happened?" He prodded, not wasting a second, once we decided CJ was safe and preoccupied.

After releasing a heavy sigh, I gave him a brief rundown on what had happened with Demetri and what CJ told me about Kate. As I predicted, Edward was furious.

"I really want to lose my shit right now. I mean, I've only known CJ for a little while and that kid owns me. How in the hell could these people treat him that way? That shithead and his little bitch better keep a safe distance."

A mother standing nearby shot Edward a glare for his language, but he only glared back at her. Even angry and frustrated, he painted a pretty picture with his sinewy arms folded across his chest and one thick eyebrow arched perfectly in her direction, as if challenging her to say something.

"Edward, I'm angry too, but losing our tempers isn't going to do anything but get us arrested. And what good would that do CJ? Do you really think I don't want to get my hands on both of them? Believe me when I tell you that I do. But CJ has to be more important than any anger I might feel."

"And this is why you're amazing," he said as he pulled me into a one-armed hug.

Those little affectionate touches made being his friend even more difficult. The smell of him brought back memories that were better left buried for the sake of our friendship. And for the sake of my sanity.

When CJ's new friend had to go home, our conversation was cut short. I could tell that Edward wanted to say more, but thankfully he kept his lips zipped and focused on playing as many games with CJ as possible. By the time we left, we were all completely exhausted.

"You'll let me know if you need me to do anything, right?" Edward asked once CJ had been hooked into his booster seat.

"I will, Edward."

We were about half way home when it truly hit me just how thankful I was that I had given myself the opportunity to be Edward's friend.

"I'm really glad we're friends, Edward. When you proposed this idea, I thought you were nuts, but you're one of the best friends I've ever had."

He glanced over at me, his signature smirk firmly in place.

"So, I'm like your BFF?"

I smacked his arm for being a smartass, but I wasn't offended. I knew that was just how he handled dealing with genuine emotion.

"Yeah, I'll make you a friendship bracelet and everything, smarty pants."

Instead of saying anything else, he simply grabbed my hand and squeezed. And he continued to hold my hand the entire way home.

Over the next few days, Edward continually reminded me to let him know if Demetri gave me any trouble, but his help turned out to be unnecessary. In fact, Demetri remained silent. I expected that he would at least call and let me know that the situation had been handled. Or that at the very least, he would want to speak to CJ to apologize for how Kate had dealt with things, but of course there was nothing. I shouldn't have been surprised, but somehow I was.

And knowing how CJ had been treated, whether he was acting affected or not, turned me into the biggest momma bear on the planet. I doted on him even more than usual, and kept him extremely close. So close that Dad, James, and Victoria were all pissed that I wasn't "sharing" him properly. But that all ended when it hit me.

See, while I make sure my little boy gets his flu shot every year, I downright refuse to get it myself. Every time I had ever gotten one, I ended up being so sick that I couldn't function for a week. Without the shot, I rarely got sick at all. In fact, the last time I'd been really sick, other than a case of the sniffles, was three years prior. But apparently, God decided that I'd bragged on that fact one too many times, and I was graced with the evil known as the flu.

Dad drove over and took CJ as soon as I called him for help, so I was left to feel like warmed-over shit all on my own. Fever, sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, vomiting, and diarrhea… I got it all. Several times, I thought I was going to die. I even begged for it after hours spent sitting on the toilet and vomiting into a trash can simultaneously. It was like a modern day_ Exorcist_. The Exorcism of Bella Swan, all over my bathroom.

Thankfully, that particular part of the flu only lasted for forty-eight hours. Victoria came over to help occasionally, but really, there's nothing anyone can do for you when you feel that way. Although, I _was_ thankful that she managed to somehow bathe me at some point.

Unfortunately for me, Edward turned out to be a worrywart and when I went two days without answering his calls or texts, he decided to show up. And Victoria, being the asshole that she is, let him in to see me on - what felt like - my deathbed.

"Go away," I groaned, as soon as I saw his handsome face, pulling the covers tightly over my head.

"Thank God, you're alright! Damn it, Bella, I've been losing my mind. Nothing for two days! _Two days!_ Rose said she hadn't heard from you either. I've been freaking out thinking something happened to you or CJ!"

I peeked out from under the covers and noted that Edward looked genuinely distressed.

"I'b fide," I said, trying to tell him I was fine, but with my stuffy nose, it was pretty unintelligible.

The bed dipped as he sat next to me, and I began to shake my head.

"You'll get sick! And I'm sure I smell like puke and death!"

"Bella, I'm a bartender. I've handled more than my fair share of puke." His cool hand went to my overheated forehead as he spoke and his eyebrows furrowed.

"You're burning up. Aren't you taking anything for the fever?"

"Uh-uh… too afraid I'll puke it back up." Just saying puke made me want to hurl again, but thankfully I held everything in.

"How long since you last threw up?"

"No idea. Time has lost all meaning to me. I don't pay attention to the clock when I'm dying." I tended to be a tad dramatic when sick. Don't judge me.

"Well, the first thing that's going to happen is that you're going to get cleaned up and I'm going to change your bedding. Victoria? Can you come help Bella get a bath while I clean up her room?"

My almost-sister-in-law smirked at me knowingly, as she practically dragged me into the bathroom.

"He was worried about you," she teased as she filled the bathtub and helped me undress.

"And he's changing your puke sheets. He looooooves you!"

"St-t-t-top-p-p it-t-t-t," I warned through chattering teeth.

"You are so damn stubborn. I really hope you don't come to regret not giving him an honest to goodness chance, Bella. The man is sexy as hell, he loves your son, and he looks at you like you're his sun and moon. James and I have been together most of our lives and he _still_ won't clean up after my vomit."

I wanted to argue with her that my brother just couldn't handle touching anything that had touched puke, but my teeth were chattering too hard, and I was far too weak to even attempt it. James was one of those people that, if he even heard the word puke, he would dry-heave. So in my mind, he didn't count as a point of reference in this particular discussion.

Even though I knew the water was warm, it felt freezing to me as I slipped into the tub. Victoria worked quickly to wash and condition my hair and clean my body while I shook uncontrollably. By the time she got me out and helped me to dry off, I was ready to pass out, but it felt wonderful to be in fresh clothes and no longer smell like ass. After a good tooth-brushing, I was ready to curl up into my bed.

As soon as the bathroom door opened, Edward was there, lifting me into his arms and carrying me to the bed.

"You can't go to bed with wet hair, honey. Where's your blow dryer?" He whispered, as he lowered me to the bed.

Thankfully, I didn't have to answer because Victoria quickly got my brush and the dryer from the bathroom. Never in my life had a man brushed and blow-dried my hair, and Edward was so gentle that I barely felt him pull through the thick tangles. When he was done, he tucked my shivering body into the bed and climbed in with me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my teeth still clacking together.

"I'm tired. I haven't slept well in two days, so we're going to take a nap."

Edward's strong arms enveloped me and within minutes he was snoring like a chainsaw. When Demetri snored, it usually made me want to punch him in the throat, but when Edward did it, I found it adorable. Since I knew he wouldn't catch me, I took the chance to watch him, uninterrupted, until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and drifted off to sleep.

I would like to say that I woke up feeling refreshed and cute, but in reality I woke up drenched in sweat and completely freezing.

"Come on, sweetheart. You need to take this medicine. We've got to get this fever down. My dad said that if we don't get it down he's coming over, and I know you'd hate that. He said he thinks it's viral, but he doesn't like how high your fever is."

I wanted to whine that I hated Gatorade, but I wouldn't dare be ungrateful to my ruggedly handsome, adorably sweet friend. Once the liquid hit my tongue, I had to fight myself not to gulp it down. I didn't think I'd be able to even stomach the thought of eating or drinking but once I started, I couldn't stop.

"Slow down, Bella. I don't want you to get sick again. You need to drink in small sips. There you go, sweetheart," he cooed as I slowed down.

I was in and out of consciousness throughout the day, but every time I awakened, Edward was right there. The man even helped me get to the bathroom when I finally needed to pee again. Thankfully, I was able to sit up unassisted because that would have been _really_ embarrassing.

When I woke up in the middle of the night, I felt almost normal. I was still really weak, but the heat I felt wasn't due to any fever. It was because Edward was sprawled out, practically on top of me. I made my way to the bathroom by my own power, then quietly gathered new clothes and took a shower. I didn't linger because I didn't think my legs would hold out for very long, but it was nice to be able to do something for myself for the first time in days.

"Bella?" Edward asked sleepily from the other side of the door. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"Fine. I'm actually feeling a lot better and just wanted to get cleaned up."

"Alright. Then I'm going back to bed."

Every muscle in my body froze. He sounded so _domestic_. Like it was the most natural thing in the world to be sleeping in my bed. He hadn't done a single thing that could have been considered sexual in nature, but just knowing how well he took care of me and how comforting his presence had been was enough to send me into an emotional tailspin.

The two weeks after the barbeque, I hadn't heard of him with a single woman. I wish I could say that it hadn't stung when Rosalie told me he'd gotten back on the horse, so to speak. But still, he spent more time being my friend than he did with those other women, and while the green-eyed monster inside of me wanted him all for myself, my heart knew how dangerous it would be to hope for anything that could last outside of a friendship.

And already he'd become such a big part of mine and CJ's life. I just had to keep myself from falling in love with him, but as I drifted off to sleep, I realized just how difficult a task that would be.


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning! This has not been pre-read or beta'd! I got this to my poor TwiWifeLife way too late last night! But I wanted to get it to you guys today, so here it is, mistakes and all! Please forgive me for the mess it's probably in lol!**

**Some of you will love this chapter and some will hate it. Either way, be gentle ;) You are all so fabulous! I tried to get to all of my reviews, but if I missed you I am sorry! Life just keeps getting more and more hectic, but I'm trying! Love you all! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, rec'd, or just read this story! You guys rock! **

**Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me (except CJ), and no copyright infringement is intended. **

**Chapter Five**

My friendship with Edward blossomed over the next few months. He turned out to be much more than just a sexy piece of man meat. He called every day and made a point to try and include CJ in every activity. As the months rolled by he became one of my closest friends and I almost forgot about our one night of passion.

Almost.

Come on, Edward was sex on a stick, and the sex had been phenomenal. Not to mention that the more I got to know of him, the more appealing he became. He was funny and smart and surprisingly deep. He played and wrote his own music and even wrote a silly song for CJ that melted my heart. And we can't forget how he had willingly taken care of me when I was sick.

It was a daily battle to keep myself from falling in love with him. But after the first few weeks of friendship he went back to his manwhore ways so that made it easier. He didn't talk about it, but Rose made sure to give me every gory detail. She was still determined to keep me from getting my heart broken by her brother. I had asked her once why she was so dead-set on keeping me in the loop of his sex life.

"_Bella, I love my brother. Seriously, there is no one, apart from my kids, that I love more than him. But every female friend that I've ever had has gotten her heart broken by him at one time or another. There was this one friend I had. Known her since Kindergarten. Tanya. She was sweet and shy. And the one girl that I begged Edward to stay away from. She had a huge crush on him from the time we were kids, but he kept his distance because he knew what she meant to me. She was more like my sister." Rose paused and huffed, a clear sign that she was uncomfortable._

"_Tanya has always been beautiful, but she never knew it, ya' know? She never came onto anyone and was too shy to accept most guys that tried to hit on her. She never said it, but I knew she was waiting for Edward to notice her. And eventually he did. In college. I had just gotten with Emmett so I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have to Tanya… or Edward. He was drunk or he never would have done it, but still."_

"_He slept with her," I guessed._

"_Yeah. The next morning he felt like shit about it, and she thought her dreams were coming true. He was gentle when he broke the news to her that they would never be more than friends, but she was so hurt. She thought she loved him. He wasn't mean, but he never is. She still ended up heartbroken and I ended up losing my best friend. Losing Tanya hurt more than any of the others. She was like my sister and she couldn't bear to look me in the eyes because they reminded her of Edward. I don't make friends easily, and I already adore you, Bella. I just don't want to lose you, and I don't want you to be hurt. So if telling you when I know about him whoring around keeps you from getting your heart broken then so be it. Like I said, I love him, and he's really not a bad guy. He's just not a one-woman man, and you deserve someone who is. I want my brother to be happy, but not at your expense."_

Her words definitely had a profound effect on me. It had always somewhat bothered me that she was so hell-bent on getting in Edward's way when it came to me. And at times I felt like she was rubbing it in when she told me about his exploits. But I knew her heart was in the right place.

But Edward was a great friend and he kept his exploits away from my son and me so I overlooked it and reminded myself that we weren't in a relationship. I was the one who rejected him in that way and so I had no right to feel jealous. Over time it got easier as I focused more on our friendship and less on what could have been between us.

Of course it was really difficult when he turned out to be so amazing. Because his wonderfulness didn't stop at taking care of my sick ass, or just spending time with CJ.

For Halloween he dressed up as Sully to match CJ's Mike Wazowsky costume. He walked around all night in that fuzzy costume and smiled the entire time. Even Rose looked mystified by her brother's dedication to my son and myself. Esme, of course, never stopped trying to push us together, and she took so many pictures on Halloween that I thought I would go blind from all the flashes of her camera.

He'd shown up on my doorstep and I'd been completely surprised. When CJ asked him to join us for trick-or-treating and he accepted but hadn't expected him to be in costume.

"How do I look?" He'd asked as I stared at him.

CJ had lost his shit when he saw him. He'd barely even noticed Emma standing behind him because he was _that_ excited.

Every friend of his that we came across were introduced to "his Eddie" because he was so proud. Edward, for his part, did great. For someone who had never been much of a kid person, he took to CJ like a fish to water.

Rose corralled me once when Edward took both kids to yet another door.

"Bella, I hate to say this, but I may have been wrong. Edward… he really cares about you guys. Maybe you should try things out with him."

"Rose, you are the one that's been keeping me updated on all of his conquests. You are the one that has discouraged me most of all. I adore Edward, I really do, but what we have right now is good. Do I get jealous over all the women he hooks up with? Sure. But it doesn't hurt me. If I gave myself over to the idea of more with him and he decided that this wasn't for him it would break me. Not only that but I would lose him as the wonderful friend that he's become. Would you risk taking that from CJ?" I asked as I nodded to where they were laughing together.

"No, I guess not. But what if it could be even better?"

"Don't do this to me, Rose. Don't put that hope in my heart, okay? He has come to mean so much to us both, but I can't let myself hope for anything more."

Of course that was made difficult by the fact that Edward was such an affectionate person. He had no problem with grabbing my hand or wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

I'd begun to feel like a broken record with the amount of times I've reminded myself of the reasons that Edward and I couldn't make a go of it. Not to mention all of the times I'd told Esme and Victoria as well. Esme was more kind and diplomatic in her response while Victoria… well, she told me that I was being a twatwaffle. Whatever that means. She thought I was wasting all of that perfect, tattooed, manliness on being friends.

Even now as we walked up and down the streets getting candy, she was eyeing Edward's arm around my shoulder. James had taken to Edward like stink to shit and had also jumped on the bandwagon. My dad was more cautious, but I could tell that he liked Edward a lot. Our families had blended together beautifully, often getting together for barbecues.

They'd even planned a camping trip together when the weather warmed up. In a very short time we'd become some sort of crazy, dysfunctional family if you left out the serious sexual tension between Edward and me. We were usually pretty good at keeping it under wraps, but there were times that I would catch him staring at me and I just knew he was thinking about our one night together. I found myself doing the same thing with him on more than one occasion. And I relived that night over and over in my dreams.

But things were good. Wonderful even, and I wasn't willing to jeopardize that over some fantastic sex.

"Hey, Bella, I was thinking that maybe we need another night out again. We haven't been out since you met Eduardo here and that was months ago." Victoria hedged as we watched Edward talking to Emmett.

"Sure, that would be fun."

"Hey, did I hear you guys say you were going out?" Edward piped up, stopping Emmett mid-sentence.

It was very rare that we spent time together without CJ and as good as he was with my kid I knew that he was itching to hang out in a more adult situation.

"I ask because I'm taking Saturday night off from the bar. I had other plans but I'd gladly cancel them to go with you guys."

I knew from Rose what those "other plans" were. Those plans involved a woman named Lauren and her adventurous friend, Jessica.

"Bella here needs to get out, and James is going to DD. Charlie is taking CJ for the weekend. He finally wore Bella down since she's been denying us all the pleasure of his sleepovers."

I couldn't help it. I had been especially greedy with my little man as of late, but after the way his father had neglected him I really wanted him to feel the love from me. And I may or may not have been using him as a shield to keep from being alone with Edward. Though I would never, ever admit that out loud. But my dad finally put his foot down and told me that he was taking my kid whether I liked it or not. Bossy old man.

"I'm definitely cancelling my plans then. As much as I adore this little guy," Edward made a point to squish CJ to emphasize his point, "I'm ready to watch Bella let loose."

He smiled at me in a way that let me know just how loose he was hoping I'd get. He never mentioned it, but I knew he was still hoping for more from me.

"Not sure how loose I plan on getting, but I'm sure we'll have fun. I trust my brother to keep me from getting crazy."

Of course Esme piped in and offered to watch the kids so that Rose and Emmett could join in and I felt even safer knowing that Rose would keep me from doing something insanely stupid.

Once CJ and Emma's bags were about to burst from too much candy did we say goodbye to everyone and Edward drove us home. He was unusually quiet on the drive, letting CJ fill the silence as he went on and on about how much fun he had and how cool it was that Edward dressed up to match him. Unfortunately the ease of the night came to an end when we pulled up to the house to see Demetri sitting on the front porch waiting for us. Edward gave me a questioning look when CJ asked, "what's _he_ doing here".

"I don't know what you're daddy is doing here, buddy," I answered his question as well as the one burning in Edward's eyes.

Those green eyes narrowed in Demetri's direction and he immediately wrapped his arm around my shoulder and lifted CJ onto his hip with his other arm. I could only imagine what it looked like to my ex who was eyeing us warily.

Ever since the blow-up over Kate, Demetri had been pretty much nonexistent in our lives. He'd eventually called to tell me he'd ended things with Kate, only to get back with her a few weeks later. I told him that she would be nowhere near our son and that if CJ was forced to visit with her there then I would push for supervised visitation. What I really wanted to do was kick her pregnant ass, as well as Demetri's for allowing it to happen in the first place.

But while I was worried about going to jail and being taken to court, Victoria was not. She didn't get to Kate, but I heard tell that she kicked Demetri's ass on his own front lawn. She spent a few hours in jail before her daddy bailed her out. She gladly pled guilty to assault and got a slap on the wrist of community service.

"Totally worth it," she'd told me afterwards.

My dad, being an officer of the law used his anger to work on finding a way around Kate ever being around CJ, but my brother, much like Victoria, could have cared less about getting in trouble. It was never proven, and James never admitted it, but both Demetri and Kate had car trouble for a few months. Edward had made a few threats, but was never face-to-face with Demetri, so I worried about what would go down. Especially with CJ right there.

"Hey buddy," he greeted CJ who didn't even acknowledge him, but what did he expect, he hadn't seen him in months.

"CJ, do you want to say hi to your dad?" I asked and he shook his head no, glaring at his father.

"Okay, then. Edward, could you take him inside and I'll be there in a bit?"

Edward looked like he wanted to protest, but thankfully he did as I said. But not before placing a kiss on my temple while staring at Demetri.

"Who is that clown?" Demetri asked once they were in the house. "You lectured me about keeping my women away from my son yet you have some guy hanging around?"

"Edward and I are friends, and he has never once been inappropriate in front of CJ." I defended.

"Really? Friends? Then what was that little display? He does _not_ want to be your friend, Bella."

"And that's really none of your business, Demetri. You lost that right when you started cheating on me with anything in a skirt. Now, why don't you get on with telling me what you're doing here?"

"I haven't seen my son in months, Bella. _Months_! I've been patient with you, but I'm tired of it now. I came by hoping that I could go trick-or-treating with you guys only to find you with whoever the hell is inside with my son." His voice got higher and higher as he spoke and I told him to keep his voice down, but that only enraged him further.

"I have every right to see my son! So, yeah, he caught me in some compromising positions. I was sowing some wild oats, and acted like an irresponsible ass, but you can't take my rights from me! And maybe Kate was inappropriate, but she feels really badly about it!"

The front door opened and Edward, now in regular clothes, tattoos on full display, stepped out.

"CJ can hear you in there. And _you_… don't you ever raise your voice to Bella again or you'll end up with a hell of a lot more than a spanking on your face."

"Listen here, you prick, this is none of your damn business! How I speak to my wife is not your concern."

"Ex. She is your _ex_-wife. Not my fault that you let her go, but it sure is my gain. And unless you want to take this elsewhere and hash it out like _real_ men then I suggest you take it down a notch." Edward then turned to me. "You want me to get rid of him?"

I had to clear my throat because damn that was hot. Should I have been sweating in October? As if Edward wasn't sexy enough, his offering to defend my honor was quite possibly the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. Not that I needed his help, but it was nice knowing that he was offering it anyway. What was even nicer was the way his jaw ticked in anger and his fists clenched in an effort to contain himself from killing my bastard of an ex.

"We're okay here, Edward. Can you just try and distract CJ, please? I'd appreciate it." I reached down to squeeze his hand in thanks and he finally went back inside.

"That guy, Bella? Really? I didn't take you for the type to slum it."

"Edward _Cullen_ is far from me slumming it."

I watched as realization dawned on Demetri's face. While I had no clue who the Cullens were before getting to know them, I knew that Demetri would. He always knew who had money and who didn't. Hell, they probably had money in his bank. At least it shut him up.

"Well, then I guess he's the one slumming it. What in the hell would a Cullen want with a divorced single mother? You're too frigid to give it up, so as soon as you do he'll be gone. Then you'll be ready to come back to me."

I blanched because not once had he ever mentioned us getting back together. Not once had he even asked. So I had no idea why he would even say something like that.

"I think you need to go home. You haven't seen your son because your bitch of a girlfriend laid her hands on him and he doesn't want to go with you. Earn the right to have him in your life and I will be more than willing to give you your rightful time with him. But as far as you and I are concerned there is not a chance in hell of that ever happening again. Ever. Now, get your ass out of here, and you call me when you're ready to be a father, not just when it's convenient for you."

He wanted to argue. I could see it in his eyes. He didn't deal well with rejection at all, and I could tell that he wanted to give me shit, but he also knew that I'd kick him in the nuts before I let him get out of hand with me. Fortunately for his balls, he made the wise decision and left. I took a few deep breaths before going in the house where CJ and Edward were waiting on me.

CJ immediately flew into my arms.

"I don't have to go wif him do I? I don't wanna!"

"No, buddy. Not tonight." I didn't want to push the issue by telling my son what his father wanted.

"Did he hurt your feelin's, Momma? Eddie will bust him up, right?" He said as he turned to Edward expectantly.

"You bet, buddy." Edward assured him.

"All right, well let's get you to bed. Edward and I will sort through your candy tonight and you can have some tomorrow, okay?"

CJ agreed, exhaustion evident on his cute little face. It had been a big night for him. I could feel Edward's eyes on me as I got my little guy ready for bed and I knew that he would want to talk as soon as CJ was down.

"So that was the ex?" Edward asked as we sat at the kitchen table to sort through the mountain of candy.

"That was him."

"He looks like a douchebag. Sounds like one too. It took everything I had not to beat his ass. Not just for what they've done to that little boy, but what he's done to you."

I looked up at Edward who had stood to pace.

"He's just an asshole, Edward. Nothing to get worked up about, I can assure you. You're the first guy he's seen me with since the divorce and even though he may not want me he's a selfish spoiled brat who never learned to share." I don't know why I left out that I'd told Demetri that Edward and I were only friends, but I did.

"Yeah, well, I don't give a shit what he is. He has no right to talk to you that way. And in all the months I've been coming around you guys, I haven't heard CJ talk about him at all. He hasn't even tried to make amends for what that bitch did to CJ. So, why now? And why should CJ have to go with him?"

"It's the way it works, Edward. I wish he was a better father because my son deserves that. But Demetri's parents are more than likely the ones that want CJ around and they hate me too much to just come to me themselves. The thing is, I'm legally obligated to let him see his son because Demetri has never harmed our child, and we have no physical evidence of what Kate did to him. I've been fortunate that Demetri hasn't pressed the issue before now so I didn't have to think about it. I've spoken to a lawyer _and_ my dad about it. Because there were no marks left, there isn't much that can be done. He still has rights."

Edward seemed to stew over my words for a bit until he finally sat down next to me at the table.

"Sorry. I know it's none of my business, but you and that kid both deserve so much better. And I heard that jab he made about you coming back to him. I've got to be honest, Bella… that almost made me lose it. Because you're not his. You're _not_."

"I'm not," I answered.

I watched as Edward's eyes darted between my eyes and my lips. He was asking me a question and as wrong as it was, my answer was yes. Because I wanted him to kiss me.

He was tentative at first, starting out with a few gentle pecks, but the kisses quickly changed. They became more demanding, though they still held a certain sweetness that had my heart racing.

"You're not his," he whispered when the kiss ended and I couldn't do more than shake my head.

"I have to go because I want you to think about this, Bella. Think about _us_. You're not his because you're _mine_ and we both know it. But if I don't get out of here, I'm going to do things that I shouldn't right now. I'll see you soon, Bella."

I spent the rest of the night thinking about that kiss. And about what he said. I think there was really no denying that I was his. I'd been lying to myself for months by trying to keep him at arms length. So when I woke up that next morning, I took my son to preschool and called in to work to tell them I would be late and made my way to Edward's house. Unfortunately as I was getting there, someone else was leaving. Edward stood in the doorway in nothing but his underwear, waving as a beautiful woman, looking freshly sexed up, was getting into a car.

Fortunately Edward didn't see me as he went back into the house and I kept on driving. I felt like a moron for my moment of weakness. Edward didn't make any promises to me, so I couldn't really be mad, but I was. I was pissed because he kissed me and called me his then spent the night with someone else.

It was the very thing I was afraid of when it came to Edward and it reminded me that it's just who he was. You know the old saying about leopards and spots. I went into work and was a sour ass for the rest of the day. By the time Saturday night had rolled around I had successfully avoided Edward, minus a few phone calls in which I did my best to pretend everything was fine. Of course Edward wanted to talk about our kiss, but I always changed the subject, not wanting him to know what I'd seen or how it had made me feel.

When he met the rest of us at my house that Saturday night he was obviously confused because while I was still friendly, I wasn't accepting of his affections. When he leaned to kiss my lips I turned my head. I wasn't willing to lose Edward as a friend, but I wasn't opening myself up to him as anything else. I hadn't told anyone but Victoria about what happened so she did her best to keep us apart once we got to the bar. She kept me dancing and drinking while Edward sat at the bar brooding and ignoring the women that constantly approached him.

By midnight I was three sheets to the wind and Edward had enough. He cut in on my dance with a cute guy that was way too young for me and pulled my body against his.

"What's going on, Bella? I thought we'd come to some sort of agreement about us the other night. Now we're back to you acting like I'm just some guy that you're friends with."

Unfortunately the tequila I'd ingested made me lose what little verbal filter I had.

"Yeah, I thought we had too. But when I showed up at your house the next morning, I caught one of your girls' walks of shame. You kissed me and called me yours then screwed someone else. It hurt my feelings and made me realize that I made the right decision by deciding that we should just be friends. My ex wasn't monogamous either and I'm just not willing to go down that road again."

"That's what this is about? You're _jealous_? I didn't have sex with her, or anyone else after I kissed you. Angela and her boyfriend, Ben, crashed at my house and she was late for work and hung over. And I'm also assuming that you saw me outside in my underwear? Of course you did, because that's just my luck. I heard her and Ben fighting. They woke me up, so I stepped outside to make sure she was okay and I forgot that I only had boxer briefs on."

I couldn't help it. I laughed. I'd been a ball of nervous energy ever since seeing that woman leave Edward's house and to know that it was all a huge misunderstanding had me feeling like an idiot. And I was relieved. Edward pulled me against him even tighter and kissed the top of my head.

"I've been about to jump out of my skin because you couldn't just ask me about what you saw? I thought I'd done something to make you change your mind. I was determined to get you drunk and take advantage of you tonight, then tie you to the bed until you agreed to give us a chance. You're a mess, you know that right?"

I nodded against his chest, still laughing.

"So, you were going to take advantage of me, you say? Is that still an option?"

"What kind of question is that? Let's get the hell out of here." Edward immediately pulled me off of the dance floor and over to our group.

Victoria gave me a look that told me that she was going to want details later, and Rose looked torn. I could see that she loved how happy her brother looked, but she was worried for me. Hell, I was worried for me too, but I was sick of fighting it. I had no idea what would happen between us, but I was determined to at least give it a try.

The tequila had me pretty bold, so we weren't even backed out of the parking spot before I was palming Edward through his jeans. He cursed and did his best to drive while I basically molested him and whispered the naughty things I wanted to do to him in his ear. All of the things I'd dreamed about since that one night with him.

"You're driving me crazy," he said as he slid a hand between my legs to feel me through my jeans.

Needless to say that when we got to his house there was no time for talking. Both of us were so full of pent up sexual energy that we were ready to combust.

We were all lips, hands, and teeth as we made out like teenagers, trying to rip off one another's clothes without breaking apart.

I giggled as Edward tripped over his pants while trying to take them off and received a wicked grin in response.

"You think that's funny, do you?" He asked.

"Why yes… yes I do. When Mr. Sex-on-Legs trips while trying to be sexy I find it hilarious!"

I squealed as he threw us both onto the bed, pushing his way between my legs.

"Still funny?" He asked as he rubbed himself against me.

"Not funny, but no less likely to bring a smile to my face, I'm sure."

"You are one of a kind, Bella, you know that? It's like I can't even remember what my life was like before you came into it. But I'm sure that it was empty and much more dull."

There was no time to respond to his words because his followed his confession with a deep kiss that made me tingle all the way to my toes. As amazing as our time together had been before, it was better this time.

His movements were slower. No longer was he hurried, but he took the time to savor every inch of my skin. His hands were reverent as they traced the planes of my body and his kisses… his kisses were unlike anything I'd ever felt. There was so much passion and emotion in every ounce of contact we shared and I knew that I would never be able to go back afterwards. Nothing would ever compare to the way he felt as he moved inside of me.

My name fell from his lips like a prayer as sweat trickled from his lips to mine. His taste, his words, the feel of his strong body… all of it combined set me on fire from the inside out. Every muscle in my body tightened as it prepared for release and when he hit a spot inside of me so deep there was nothing I could do to hold back any longer.

My release gave way to his own before he finally collapsed on top of me, both of us a sweaty mess.

And I knew that nothing would ever be the same. I would never be able to resist falling in love with this man – if I hadn't already.


	6. Chapter 6

**Guys, I am SO sorry for not replying to reviews and for missing last week's update. Life has been… hectic, for lack of a better word. The truth is that I let real life get me down. I'm still sort of in the dumps, but at least the characters yelled over the rest of the chaos in my brain to get this out to you all! I love you guys so much! Thank you for every review, alert, favorite, or just the lurkers who take a peek. Thank you for the recommendations on Facebook, The Lemonade Stand, and The Fic Sisters! I am so humbled by all the love!**

**This is unbeta'd and hasn't been read by anyone but me, so all mistakes are mine. I wanted to get this out tonight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 6**

"Hello there, gorgeous," Edward greeted as he sauntered into my office.

Ever since we had decided to give things a try, his desire to see me daily was something we both struggled with. Me, because I'd somehow turned into a nymphomaniac, but I was still a mother, and didn't want to allow Edward to take too much time away from CJ. For him, it was because he worked nights at the bar, and as much as he would love to take off every single night – and could afford to – he understood my need for boundaries. It would have been so easy to give him all of my time; to let him become a part of our daily lives. But CJ was already attached and things with us were still new. Until I was one hundred percent sure that we were a long-term deal, I didn't want to complicate things for my son.

Edward appreciated my point of view, but our relationship being so new, in that wonderful honeymoon phase, had us both wanting to spend every second together. Needless to say, my self-control was a little better than his. Our compromise was our daily lunches. The girls in my office had taken to spending a lot of time around my office come lunch time.

Not that I could blame them. Edward was a sight to behold.

"Hey, babe. Just let me finish typing up this last thing… okay done!" I said as I logged off of my computer.

The second I was on my feet I was in his arms and pulled into a toe-curling kiss. I swear I heard the women in the office swooning.

"Please tell me that I get to see you and the kid tonight. These lunches just aren't enough for me, Bella. Not to sound like a pussy or anything, but I miss you both like crazy."

"We miss you too."

"I mean, I get why and all. You're worried that we won't work out and CJ will get hurt, but we hung out all the time before we got together, so I don't see why that should change." His words weren't harsh, but I could tell that he was hurt.

For being a former manwhore, he was surprisingly sensitive and easily offended when it came to me.

"Just… you have to promise me, Edward. Promise me that if we don't work out that you won't just walk out on him. He never says much about Demetri, but I know it bothers him. CJ is tough, but he's my little boy. My baby. The thought of him being hurt anymore just breaks my heart."

Edward nodded in understanding before gracing me with a gentle kiss.

"I won't bail on the kid. And I don't know why you're so sure this isn't going to work out. I mean, you're awesome, and it goes without saying that _I'm_ awesome. It only makes sense that we just be awesome together."

I rolled my eyes at him and then pulled on my coat. Edward had always been an affectionate sort of guy, but with us actually being a couple, he literally couldn't keep his hands off of me. He even sat on the same side of the table with me when we went to lunch, which was something I usually hated, so we could have some sort of physical contact.

For some reason those casual touches between us sent the girls in the office into a tizzy. And it didn't matter how obvious the women were in their perusal of him, Edward never even seemed to notice.

Having a man that looked like Edward who only had eyes for me? There were no words for how that made me feel. For how _he_ made me feel.

"All right, how about you come for dinner tonight. I know CJ has been dying for some more Edward time, and I definitely wouldn't be opposed to some more Edward time myself." I winked flirtatiously even though we both knew I wouldn't be having any sexy times with him with my little monster in the house. At least not at this stage of the game.

When Edward was there, CJ stuck to him like glue. I was barely able to hold the man's hand in my son's presence, let alone do anything else.

"So, my mom wants to know when _we_, as in you, me, and CJ, are coming to dinner. Now that we're a couple," he bats his eyelashes dramatically as he speaks, making me giggle, "she says we're never around anymore. Apparently mom and Rose both think I'm keeping you all to myself, but really what do they expect?"

Edward's lips made their way to my neck, placing gentle kisses there that drove me crazy.

"They all know that I don't share well," he said between open-mouthed kisses.

Our waitress cleared her throat loudly, then rolled her eyes at me as I looked up at her. My bitch face was in full effect because I knew why we were getting this kind of reaction. The tart wanted my man, which had been made obvious when we were seated and she remarked how sweet it was that he was taking his sister to lunch.

Had I been a few pounds lighter and blessed with great self-esteem, I probably would have laughed at the situation. Sadly, I had resorted to barely containing the green-eyed monster of jealousy that being with Edward had brought to life. Even when I found out about Demetri cheating on me I hadn't been jealous. But when it came to Edward, apparently the claws came out.

"The food is fine. Our drinks are fine. And if you want a tip I suggest you stop being a bitch," Edward commented before I even had the chance.

She'd been to our table several times by then, always speaking directly to Edward. It seemed to piss him off as much as it did me because he was getting rather testy.

"I'm sorry sir, I just wanted…" she tried to defend herself but was cut off by my oh-so sexy boyfriend.

"I know what you just wanted. You know what? Just go get your manager. You have blatantly ignored my girlfriend who has been far more polite than I would have been, have inappropriately flirted with me in front of her, and now, when I'm in the middle of trying to cop a feel you want to interrupt _again_."

He then turned his green eyes on me.

"Have all other women _always_ been this annoying?" He asked me.

"Afraid so, babe. Good thing I came along, huh?" I teased.

"Thank God! What was I thinking messing around with these vapid broads all these years?"

The waitress remained standing there, gawking at us until Edward barked out for her to do as he said and get her manager. After Edward complained about the service, we left with a free meal. I was embarrassed as hell, because he sort of caused a scene, but it was nice that he was so willing to stick up for me.

By the time my workday was over, and I picked up CJ, I was beyond ready for a night with my two favorite boys. CJ was probably even more excited because the from the second I told him that Edward was coming over, he was bouncing off the walls with excitement. Then every five minutes he was asking when he would be there.

When the doorbell finally rang, my kiddo tripped and stumbled down the hallway in an attempt to beat me to the front door.

"Boy! You know you're not allowed to answer that door!" I warned as I chased after him.

"But Mo-om! It's Eddie!"

"You don't know that, little man. It's not safe for you to just answer the door." I reminded.

"Fine, but will you just open it already? Eddie is out there waiting for me!" His little feet moved back and forth impatiently as he spoke.

The second the door was open, CJ climbed up Edward like a little monkey, immediately chattering about his day.

Edward listened intently, only breaking eye contact to lightly kiss me on the cheek and whisper hello.

I let the boys talk and play while I finished making dinner. The way their laughter floated through the house made my stomach tighten and my heart clench. It was as if Edward was meant to be a part of us. Rose and I had talked several times about how she never imagined Edward would be such a kid person. Even with her own girls, though she knew he loved them, he'd never been particularly affectionate or playful. It was as if he just didn't know what to do with them. But with CJ, he was never uncertain or timid, not that my child gave him much of a chance to be. Most of the time when they were together, it was like Edward had always been there.

It made me sad to know that he didn't even have this kind of relationship with Demetri, and he was his father.

When the food was finished I stood in the doorway of the living room, where my two favorite boys were on the floor playing with every action figure that CJ possessed. He had been on an Avengers kick for the past few weeks, so of course, they were arguing over who was cooler and therefore who got to play with Iron Man.

"Okay, okay, you're both super cool and all, but even superheroes need to eat. CJ, go wash your hands for dinner."

"Ugh, fine, but tell him I'm cooler, Momma! I am _always_ Iron Man, cause he's funny. He makes you laugh just like me!" With that he bolted from the room.

"That kid only has one speed, doesn't he?" Edward asked with a laugh.

"You've got that right."

"Hi," he said as he leaned in to kiss me.

We both knew that we didn't have long before we were interrupted, so I immediately opened my mouth to give Edward full access. He tasted the same as always, like the spearmint gum he always chewed, but every time we kissed it was like the first time. There was nothing routine about the way he used his tongue to explore mine as if he hadn't done it hundreds of times before. Every time our lips locked I found something else that I loved about his kisses. I hoped it would always be that way.

When we heard thundering footsteps coming down the hall I received one final kiss to my bottom lip and a squeeze to my ass before he pulled away with a wink.

I did my best to school my features so it didn't look like I was ready to strip him naked right there, but from the way Edward smirked at me I could tell that I wasn't doing that great of a job. I was just glad that my son was too young to understand why his mommy was blushing and panting.

"K! I washed my hands, see? Can I have sketti now?" CJ raised his little hands, that were still dripping wet, for approval.

It was a fairly normal dinner. Edward covertly rubbed my thigh under the table and CJ jabbered until I swore he would pass out from lack of breathing in between talking and shoveling food in his mouth.

At least it was normal until a whiny noise distracted us all. The sound was something between a cry and a whine, and it was possibly the most pitiful noise I'd ever heard. Of course when we went outside to see what all of the ruckus was about I really wished we hadn't.

Because sitting on my front steps was the mangiest, dirtiest, homeliest puppy on the planet.

"Oh. My. Gosh! Momma… it's a puppy." CJ whispered reverently.

I was screwed. So, _so_ freaking screwed. The one thing my child had wanted forever and now this ragged-looking mutt just appeared on my porch. Truth be told, I loved animals. I'd wanted a dog for years, but my kid was a hellion and he kept me on my toes all on his own. Adding a dog to the mix would kill me, I was sure. But it was sitting there all pitiful-looking. And when it saw us, it's little tail went to wagging so much that its entire little body shook in excitement.

"Can we keep it? Look, Momma, it's so sad!" His little hands reached for the filthy animal, but thankfully I stopped him in time.

"Okay, buddy, well I'm not exactly sure what we're going to do, but I'm not going to just leave him out here. But before we do anything with him, he needs a bath. Big time."

The poor thing's fur was matted and I could see clumps of fleas. It made me itch just looking at him. I remembered that Dawn dish soap kills fleas and immediately went about bathing him in it. It took four times before the water finally ran clean. The entire time I was bathing the puppy, CJ was bouncing up and down, clapping giddily. Sadly, Edward looked just as excited as CJ was.

I had to admit that once he was clean and dried off, the poor little fella was actually pretty cute. He looked mostly like a German Shepherd, but you could plainly see that he wasn't a pure breed. One ear stood straight up while the other flopped over, making him look even more adorable. He was mostly black with little areas of brown on his face and chest, but mostly he looked like a fluffy teddy bear.

"He needs some dog food," Edward commented as we both watched CJ and his new buddy playing on the floor.

"I'll run to the store real quick until we can go to the vet to get him some good food, but he needs something."

Edward made the fastest store run ever and came back looking like he'd bought out the entire pet section of Walmart. He had food, a dog bed, a crate, food and water bowls, treats, bones, and every toy imaginable. I made a mental note never to let Edward go shopping again because as with everything, he went overboard.

"Look, Sulley! Eddie bringed you stuff!" CJ picked up the dog he'd named Sulley and carried him over to Edward who dropped the bags in his arms.

"Sulley?" Edward asked with a smile.

"I wanted to name him Eddie, but Momma said it'd be fusing. But since you was Sulley for Halloween, I named him Sulley."

"_Were_, baby. Since you _were_. And it's _con_fusing, love of my life," I corrected.

"Uh-huh, dats what I said, Momma. Do you like it, Eddie?"

"Sure do, little man. How about we get Sulley fed? The food choices were crap, so tomorrow I'm taking him to the vet and getting him something better."

I wanted to argue with him, but I knew better. Once Edward got an idea in his head there was no changing his mind. I mean, just look at us. He wore me down, and in the beginning I could barely stand him.

Little Sulley inhaled his food and then proceeded to shit all over my kitchen floor. Edward put on the collar he bought him and took him for a walk while I cleaned up and got CJ ready for bed.

My little man fought hard for Sulley to sleep with him, but from the amount of diarrhea that dog let out I knew there were some worms in that gut of his, and I didn't want them in my child's bed. Eventually, though, I got him settled down and in bed.

"You have a dog," Edward reminded as we sat on the couch, little Sulley curled up on a blanket at our feet.

"I have a freaking dog. This is going to be so bad for me."

"Why do you say that, babe? I'll help you out. You can drop the little shit off with me in the mornings and I can bring him by in the evenings. At least until he's housetrained. I've got you, woman. It'll be like shared custody."

I sighed heavily and leaned into him further.

"Puppies are a shit ton of work. And as you've seen, they crap everywhere. You sure you can handle that?"

"Baby, I can handle anything you throw at me. Now shut your mouth and let me kiss you until you send me home with blue balls," he teased with a wink.

Making out like teenagers had become our thing. It seemed we didn't have time or the opportunity to actually go any further and sometimes I worried he would eventually get fed up with it. He went from having a very healthy sex life to being tied down to a woman that barely had time to wash her hair, let alone have sexy times.

"All right, what's got you so distracted tonight?" Edward asked.

"Nothing. I'm just being silly and thinking too much. You know me."

"I do know you, which is why I can tell that whatever you're thinking isn't a good thing and while I don't know shit about relationships, I do know about women and letting shit fester. If my mom or my sister have an issue and don't talk it through, the men in their lives pay for it. So out with it, Bella." He even put a little space between us to show that he was serious.

"Ugh, it's too early in this relationship to start on the heavy stuff. Can't we just go back to the kissing? I like the kissing," I whined.

"I like the kissing too, but I really want this to work, and in order for that to happen we have to communicate and shit."

"Fine." I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, biting it almost painfully.

The idea of baring my soul to Edward was terrifying. Things ran so smoothly between us and we always kept things light, so this was uncharted territory. I knew that real relationships meant real conversations, but I was worried that if things got too serious – too real – that he would bolt.

"I'm worried that this isn't enough for you. You're used to a certain lifestyle. A lifestyle in which you get as much booty as often as you want. And now you're with me, and I can't live that way. I can't just have you staying over and confusing CJ. As much as I'd love to have that type of relationship with you, I just cant. I'm so scared that I'm going to get so invested in you – in this – and you'll realize that you need more time than I can give."

Edward looked at me for a moment, his gaze thoughtful.

"I'm not going to lie and say that I don't miss sex. I'm a man who has been used to living a certain way, but Bella, what I have with you here, what I have with CJ is so much more important. I understand why you feel the way you do, and I'm sorry that my past has such a huge part of that, but I can't change that. I can only be a good man for you _now_. And I'll have you know that while I'm not usually the world's most patient man, I'm willing to take what I can get for the time being. If that means making out on the couch and hoping CJ doesn't wake up and catch us then that's what I'll do."

"You know," I began, "if someone had told me a few months ago that you would be like this with me I would have told them they needed to get their head examined."

"Then it's a damn good thing that I'm so persistent. It would have been a shame for you to miss out on all of this. But for the record, if someone had told me a few months ago that I'd be like this with you, I would have told them the same thing. I'm just as surprised as you are."

I slapped his stomach playfully before gracing his lips with a soft kiss.

"Pleasantly surprised," he added.

Unfortunately our lovey dovey moment was interrupted by CJ who woke up from a nightmare.

"Momma, is Eddie still here?" He asked when I went to check on him.

"He is, buddy. You want to tell me what your dream was about?" I asked, brushing his hair back from his face.

"I wanna tell Eddie, please?"

It was the first time that CJ had wanted anyone other than me after a bad dream but I wasn't hurt. Of course Edward looked shell shocked when I told him that his presence was needed, then I stood in the hallway and eavesdropped like the nosy mommy that I was.

"What's up, buddy?"

"Eddie… do you love me?" CJ's voice was so small and timid, the complete opposite of his usual self.

I feared Edward's answer. He cared about us, I knew, but the "L" word had never even been remotely mentioned. I worried for my son's little heart if the answer wasn't the right one.

"Yeah, I love you, CJ. You're the most special boy in the universe! Who wouldn't love you?"

"My daddy doesn't. I dreamed you left me an' Momma. Daddy said we wasn't good 'nuff and dats why no one loves us. An' den you left. I cried and cried for you to come back but you didn't."

I reminded myself that CJ had only wanted to talk to Edward and that was the only thing that kept me from barreling into that bedroom and holding my little boy. Fortunately, Edward didn't hesitate to wrap my son in his arms and hold him while he cried.

"I don't know your dad," Edward began, "but I know you. And you, CJ, are an amazing kid. And you are definitely loveable. And I'm sure your daddy loves you. Maybe he just has a harder time showing it. I used to have a hard time showing when I cared about people, but you and your mom? You guys showed me how. And that's pretty cool, don't you think? Do you think that someone who wasn't good enough could do that?"

CJ didn't respond verbally, but I imagined he was shaking his head. Silent tears streamed down my face unchecked.

"Now, I can't make promises about the future, because no one knows what can happen tomorrow, or even ten seconds from now, but I can promise you that if I ever have to go away, it wouldn't be because I didn't love you."

"Can you sing me a song?" CJ asked between sniffles.

"I'll sing you a song that my Mom sang me when I was little. It was my favorite. Don't laugh at my singing voice, though, kid. It's not great."

"K, Eddie. I won't."

Edward cleared his throat and it didn't matter that he was off key a little, or that he couldn't carry a tune. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard.

_Baby mine, don't you cry._

_Baby mine, dry your eyes._

_Rest your head close to my heart,_

_Never to part, baby of mine._

_Little one, when you play,_

_Pay no heed what they say._

_Let your eyes sparkle and shine,_

_Never a tear, baby of mine._

_If they knew all about you,_

_They'd end up loving you too._

_All those same people who scold you,_

_What they'd give just for the right to hold you._

_From your head down to your toes,_

_You're not much, goodness knows._

_But, you're so precious to me,_

_Sweet as can be, baby of mine. *_

He sang until CJ fell back to sleep and the second he came out of the room I hugged him so tightly that I swear I cut off his ability to breathe. What my son had been so lacking in his own father, Edward had so easily given. He wasn't a replacement, but his ability to give my son the reassurance he needed at a time in his life when he felt so small was something I knew I would never forget for the rest of my life.

"What's this all about?" Edward asked as he bent to kiss my tears away.

"You're really something, Edward, you know that? Just when I think there is really no way you can get any better, you do something like this. The way you helped my little boy in there…" I swallowed back the emotions that threatened to choke me as I tried to gain my composure.

"You are so much more than I think even you know, Edward Cullen. I am so lucky to have you in my life."

"I'm the lucky one, Bella. You and CJ are not what I ever expected to want, but now you guys mean so much to me. I would never intentionally hurt the two of you, I hope you know that."

Edward went home shortly after because he knew that my morning would come early. For the rest of the night I daydreamed of what a real life with Edward could be. And I dreamed of the day that he would tell me he loved me the way he had my son.


End file.
